Living On A Prayer - Sondra & Dave

Let me tell you what has been going on over the last year with our family...

Short Version: Sondra had spine surgery last year (May 2023) and is in extreme pain daily. It has prohibited her from working or doing daily tasks. Dave has been a champ and has taken great care of her during this time, continuing to work and provide. Last week (March 25th) Dave fell and broke his arm. Prohibiting him from being able to work or drive.

Long Version:

SONDRA - In December 2022 Sondra started experiencing numbness and tremors in her back, hips, and hands from her severe scoliosis. After multiple ER trips, pain management doctors and spine doctors. The inevitable decision was made to have spine surgery in May 2023. The surgery consisted of 2 major operations, one going through the stomach to the front of her spine and the second through her back. She has now had half of her spine reconstructed. What was suppose to be a 5 day recovery in the hospital turned into 2 weeks due to stomach bleeding. After finally getting the infection under control Sondra was sent home with an external drainage port for her stomach. SOOO not only is she recovering from MAJOR spine surgery, she is now fighting an infection in her stomach causing bleeding. To top it all off, she gets hit with COVID. Now, we are in June 2023. The stomach issue clears ups, the Covid is gone and its time to heal. She has been doing daily physical therapy and still cannot get the pain to lessen. Fast forward to today, March 2024, we have now seen 3 pain management doctors and the only thing that helps to make her semi-functional are daily pain medications. The only outings she goes on are to the Doctor or Walmart for groceries and medication.

DAVE - Everything above, all the doctors appointments and surgeries and medical bills have been taken care of by Dave, supporting & loving her throughout the entire process. March 25th he woke up a little dizzy and fell and broke his humerus bone (arm), which has also caused some nerve damage. The initial X-Ray shows a black spot on the bone where the break is which caused a tizzy. After 2 ER visits, and getting the run around from the medical system (don't get me started!), we ended up at UT Southwestern orthopedic oncology. The conercn is that he has cancer in the bone and it is a delicate process to repair. Dave has surgery this week and they will biopsy the bone while attempting to stabilize the fracture. With all this to say, he is now unable to work, drive or take care of Sondra for the foreseeable future.

The medical bills are piling up between pain management, multiple ER visits and surgeries. We are seeking financial help from friends and family to assist with the deductible, transportation, and prescriptions. Sondra is on Medicare, Dave has (crappy) insurance.

Ashley Watson (Sondra's Daughter) is coordinating this Go Fund Me account - and appreciates any and all financial help during this difficult time. The featured photo above is from our trip to Mexico in September 2022, it is mind blowing how quickly their quality of life has declined.