Hi, 

My name is Nancy and I'm trying to raise money for my friends daughter.  Her name is Danika Eherlich and I'm here to tell you about the tragedy of errors that landed me on this page, praying that you will help.  A couple of years ago Danika was in a car accident with her Dad.  Thank God she walked away with only a minor back injury…a compressed disk and.a herniated disk, but she could walk and tolerate the pain.  Unfortunately, Danika's story doesn't end there. Last summer she hurt her right knee and needed surgery to repair a torn meniscus.  Somehow limping around on the bad knee had exacerbated her back problems.  She got the knee surgery last October, but it wouldn't heal properly. The pain from her sciatic nerve got worse and she couldn’t put weight on her knee.  On top of that there was pain and numbness all down her thigh.  The Orthopedic surgeon referred her to a neurosurgeon who determined that Danika needed spinal surgery.  She was covered under her step-mother’s insurance plan at the time but there was a problem… her step-mother was angry over a disagreement and was threatening to drop her from her insurance plan. Now Danika and her mom, Kelly, were under the gun to get the surgery done before step-mother made good on her threat.  They didn’t have the time to research doctors so they went with the surgeon recommended by the knee surgeon…and that’s where this nightmare really begins.  Danika was told disk replacement was a simple procedure with a small incision in the back and she would be walking in just a few days.  The Dr. assured her that he had done thousands of these surgeries and it was a “Piece of cake…no worries.”.  Danika trusted him, but it wasn’t anything like he promised.  The cage he had put into her back broke, unbeknownst to him, and he sent her in an ambulance to another hospital for physical therapy and rehabilitation.  The ambulance ride was excruciating and though she tried her best, the pain only got worse. With each passing hour her condition deteriorated.  Now she couldn’t feel her good leg and was unable to walk. The new Doctors were puzzled by her poor progress until they did a CT scan. They found that a wire was sticking in her spine from the device the surgeon had implanted and the broken device was moving.  The new doctors said her spine was unstable and she would need another surgery ASAP. All Physical Therapy was suspended and orders were given to do whatever it took to keep her still and comfortable.  Kelly and Danika hoped the insurance would hold out.  The new doctor petitioned the insurance company to do corrective surgery. The good news was that they still had insurance but the bad news was that the insurance company would only approve half of the things the doctor asked for.  He couldn’t do half a surgery and time was of the essence.   Danika was in terrible pain so going home was out of the question.  The only thing left to do was to return to the original neurosurgeon who offered to fix the botched surgery.  They returned and had a second surgery.  This time the Dr. tried putting in two rods and 5 screws to stabilize the spine. The surgery took 6 hours.  Unfortunately on the second day an MRI showed that somehow this cage too had twisted.  The Dr. said he would have to go in from the front.  So for the third time in less than a month, Danika endured another back surgery.  This time they cut from above her belly button down about 8 inches. They put in yet a third cage and after a two-hour surgery said everything looked good. It was now Christmas Eve. The doctor wanted to send her to a different rehab this time, supposedly because it was a neuro-rehab and more appropriate to her type of injury. The fact that it was 3 hours from home and her mom had to rent a car to get there didn’t factor into his decision. Reluctantly Danika went along with the plan and tried to rehabilitate her back but still could not feel her “good” leg from the knee down.  The new rehabilitation center gave very poor care and though she was trying to learn to use a walker and confined to a wheelchair, it wasn’t long before Danika fell.  Things just went from bad to worse so Kelly and Danika petitioned the insurance to allow them to return to the place that originally found the “problem”.  They had suspicions that their doctor was trying to keep them from returning there because of his “mistake”.  A week later they found out why.  Her back was still unstable, there were holes drilled that had fractured bones in her spine, and a screw that had been inserted into the spinal canal had caused serious nerve damage.  She would need another surgery but she needed time for the fractures to heal.  That’s when the floor fell out from under them.  Danika no longer had insurance and Medicaid would not provide for another surgery or adequate care, only pain management.  At 25 years old, Danika was being sentenced to a life of disability on addictive pain medications. Her only chance at a full recovery is contingent upon another surgery to decompress her spine.  The sooner she gets the operation she needs, the better her chances that the nerve-damage can be reversed.

 Danika is a beautiful young woman who has a gift for working with kids.   She has her whole life in front of her and wants to become a nurse.  Her mom is struggling with her own medical issues and since she is unemployed, she can ill-afford to care for an invalid daughter. She lives in a a house that has no wheelchair access, much less handicap bath facilities. All of this was completely unexpected.  It was supposed to be a simple procedure. I’m asking for your help because these are really, good people who have been dealt an impossible hand. Danika needs surgery immediately or she may never walk again.  Kelly has gone through her savings and may lose her home by the time this is over.  We need your help now.

 Sometimes life turns on a dime and we never know when disaster will strike.  What we do count on is that there are wonderful people in the world who care about the misfortune of others. Anything you can contribute would be so appreciated. Kelly has been so good to everyone she knows.  She brings her own brand of humor and love to everyone and has held my hand through many of my own troubles. Watching her suffer as she watches her daughter struggle with pain filled days and tortured nights is breaking my heart. Now it’s my turn to help her. I’m just hoping that my effort here will be a blessing to both Kelly and Danika as they have always been to me. Any contribution will be greatly appreciated. May God bless you all.

 

Many, many thanks,

 

Nancy Lamfers