Kathy's Medical Fund
Donation protected
Kathleen Gosizk-Desautels' Medical Fund
My name is Kathi DiGiacomo-Hipps. I am starting this fund to help my daughter, Kathy Gosizk-Desautels. Kathy is a devoted mother, wife, daughter, and friend to many. However, she also suffers from an undiagnosed chronic abdominal condition. For over three years, this ongoing condition remains a mystery to medical professionals, causing extreme physical and emotional pain.
Before this, Kathy worked for several years as a devoted special education teacher in the Seaford School District in Seaford, Delaware. As a working mother of three, she continued her passion and earned her master's degree.
Kathy is known for helping students with special needs both in and out of the classroom. Her students often became part of her family. While working for Blades Elementary, she won the honor of Blades Elementary School Teacher of the Year.
Helping children was, and is, Kathy's passion. Sadly, her illness actively stopped her from teaching. It grew severe enough to cause her to take leave from the career she loved.
Kathy's condition brought her to many medical professionals, including doctors, hospitals, and therapists. This resulted in medications and surgeries with horrific side effects—including memory loss, confusion, hand tremors, balance loss, nutritional deficiencies, and weight loss—without success.
Kathy's medical journey began with several gastrointestional doctors, beginning with local doctors in her home state, Delaware. The doctors' diagnosis was always the same: "We can't find an answer for you." The professionals' primary medical finding was the most obvious symptom: eating causes her chronic pain and abdominal attacks. Her Delaware doctors, though competent and well-intentioned, did not provide closure.
Kathy has since sought treatment across the country, including Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas, and Michigan. For two years, she traveled several times a week to John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, from Bridgeville, Delaware. John Hopkins performed test and therapies, sometime up to three times per week.
However, Kathy's condition worsened. She entered the hospital several times, including a bout of severe pancreatitis. Doctors performed surgeries on adhesions, which unfortunately returned with no clear answer, while her condition worsened. This led to more invasive tests and increased medication.
She remains a John Hopkins University patient, but traveled to Texas and Michigan, desperate for answers. At the University of Michigan, Kathy found a team of doctors offering new medical procedures. While the team has not found a diagnosis, they are committed to her case.
Kathy is currently in Michigan, staying with her son, Billy. She travels daily from her son's home in Sterling Heights, Michigan (located in the Detroit metropolitan area) to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As such, she commutes three hours a day in continuous pain.
However, she is receiving a specialized, intricate, and invasive therapy many therapists are not trained to perform. Initally scheduled for a daily, two-week session providing months' worth of therapy, this effort has grown beyond its initial scope. The University of Michigan identified the condition has led to secondary issues which must be addressed first before they can attempt an honest diagnosis.
The University of Michigan informed Kathy she will need to continue traveling to Michigan for stretches of time for treatment and consultation with various professionals. She will travel to Michigan from Delaware for an undetermined period of time.
With faith, hope, and prayers from her family and friends, we believe there will be an answer and cure.
Insurance covers parts of her medical bills, there are many other expenses. When not in Michigan for care, Kathy regularly travels to John Hopkins. The University of Michigan also referred her to a specific nutritionist in Ann Arbor to rebuild her body's strength, but insurance will not cover the treatment. Additionally, this travel brings more cost via tolls, hotels, parking fees, flights, commutes, and co-pays.
I started this fund for my loving daughter—who has never complained or asked "why," but instead fought to heal herself—to alleviate this additional financial burden.
I thank you for taking the time to read this. I do not know if anyone can help, but I ask everyone to pray for Kathy and keep her within your thoughts.
If this Go Fund Me is successful with remaining money, it will be used for charity to help someone else in need, likely children in need of further education.
Thank you,
Kathi Hipps - Organizer
My name is Kathi DiGiacomo-Hipps. I am starting this fund to help my daughter, Kathy Gosizk-Desautels. Kathy is a devoted mother, wife, daughter, and friend to many. However, she also suffers from an undiagnosed chronic abdominal condition. For over three years, this ongoing condition remains a mystery to medical professionals, causing extreme physical and emotional pain.
Before this, Kathy worked for several years as a devoted special education teacher in the Seaford School District in Seaford, Delaware. As a working mother of three, she continued her passion and earned her master's degree.
Kathy is known for helping students with special needs both in and out of the classroom. Her students often became part of her family. While working for Blades Elementary, she won the honor of Blades Elementary School Teacher of the Year.
Helping children was, and is, Kathy's passion. Sadly, her illness actively stopped her from teaching. It grew severe enough to cause her to take leave from the career she loved.
Kathy's condition brought her to many medical professionals, including doctors, hospitals, and therapists. This resulted in medications and surgeries with horrific side effects—including memory loss, confusion, hand tremors, balance loss, nutritional deficiencies, and weight loss—without success.
Kathy's medical journey began with several gastrointestional doctors, beginning with local doctors in her home state, Delaware. The doctors' diagnosis was always the same: "We can't find an answer for you." The professionals' primary medical finding was the most obvious symptom: eating causes her chronic pain and abdominal attacks. Her Delaware doctors, though competent and well-intentioned, did not provide closure.
Kathy has since sought treatment across the country, including Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas, and Michigan. For two years, she traveled several times a week to John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, from Bridgeville, Delaware. John Hopkins performed test and therapies, sometime up to three times per week.
However, Kathy's condition worsened. She entered the hospital several times, including a bout of severe pancreatitis. Doctors performed surgeries on adhesions, which unfortunately returned with no clear answer, while her condition worsened. This led to more invasive tests and increased medication.
She remains a John Hopkins University patient, but traveled to Texas and Michigan, desperate for answers. At the University of Michigan, Kathy found a team of doctors offering new medical procedures. While the team has not found a diagnosis, they are committed to her case.
Kathy is currently in Michigan, staying with her son, Billy. She travels daily from her son's home in Sterling Heights, Michigan (located in the Detroit metropolitan area) to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As such, she commutes three hours a day in continuous pain.
However, she is receiving a specialized, intricate, and invasive therapy many therapists are not trained to perform. Initally scheduled for a daily, two-week session providing months' worth of therapy, this effort has grown beyond its initial scope. The University of Michigan identified the condition has led to secondary issues which must be addressed first before they can attempt an honest diagnosis.
The University of Michigan informed Kathy she will need to continue traveling to Michigan for stretches of time for treatment and consultation with various professionals. She will travel to Michigan from Delaware for an undetermined period of time.
With faith, hope, and prayers from her family and friends, we believe there will be an answer and cure.
Insurance covers parts of her medical bills, there are many other expenses. When not in Michigan for care, Kathy regularly travels to John Hopkins. The University of Michigan also referred her to a specific nutritionist in Ann Arbor to rebuild her body's strength, but insurance will not cover the treatment. Additionally, this travel brings more cost via tolls, hotels, parking fees, flights, commutes, and co-pays.
I started this fund for my loving daughter—who has never complained or asked "why," but instead fought to heal herself—to alleviate this additional financial burden.
I thank you for taking the time to read this. I do not know if anyone can help, but I ask everyone to pray for Kathy and keep her within your thoughts.
If this Go Fund Me is successful with remaining money, it will be used for charity to help someone else in need, likely children in need of further education.
Thank you,
Kathi Hipps - Organizer
Organizer and beneficiary
Kathi DiGiacomo Hipps
Organizer
Ocean View, DE
Kathy Desautels
Beneficiary