Please Help My Mom With Surgery

My Dearest Friends,

My mother is scheduled to undergo femur head replacement surgery on December 9th, and we need help covering the following recovery expenses.

MEDICATION

Forteo: First Month @ $1406 + 14 Months @ $550 = $9106

HOUSING

AirBnB, Handicap Accessible: 4 Months @ $2,600 = $10,400

TRAVEL & LIVING EXPENSES

Estimated Round Trip Ticket From Manzanillo, Mexico to Los Angeles = $890

Handicap Accessible Van Rental: 1 Month = $1,100

TOTAL AMOUNT

$21,500

Due to her disability, the surgery will require a longer recovery period. She has already spent a large portion of her savings to make this surgery happen. In addition, she has recently been prescribed a costly, but necessary, medication that her insurance will only cover a portion of. Sadly, I am not in a financial position to help her.

This surgery will vastly improve her quality of life, diminish her chronic pain, and increase her chances of being mobile as she gets older.

It is heartbreaking to me that I cannot support my mom in the way she deserves. That is why I am humbly asking for your donations. Your funds will go to the above expenses and any additional money raised will be used to help recuperate some of the savings lost in making this surgery a reality.

REASON FOR THE SURGERY

Her doctor has recommended a femur head replacement, with a possible knee replacement to follow. She has lost the ability to rotate the femur bone in her hip. Consequently, there has been limited blood supply to the femur head, which has caused the head to deteriorate. She is in constant pain, unable to move around her house on many days. Navigating stairs is extremely difficult and walking is very painful. In addition, decreased mobility has developed into osteoporosis.

OUR STORY

In May of 2006, my mom and I were hit head-on by a drunk driver on an isolated stretch of highway in rural Washington State. While I would get off easy with only minor injuries, my mother's body would be shattered. She would spend the next five weeks in the hospital and another five weeks in an assisted living facility. She would eventually walk again, but with difficulty and great pain. When the dust settled, her injuries would include the following:

Right Foot: Broken in several places, requiring two plates and a loss of all flexibility. This inflexibility makes balance extremely difficult and places additional pressure on the femur head, knee, and hip.

Right Femur: Compound fracture, requiring a rod extending down to the knee and several screws.

Left Femur: Fracture: Broken in multiple places, requiring permanent rod and screws.

Right Hand: Broken, requiring several pins.

Right Humerus: Broken

Left Alna: Broken, requiring permanent rod.

Brain Injury: Short-term memory loss for several weeks.

Leg Length Change: Due to the nature of these injuries, one leg is much shorter than the other, requiring shoe lifts.

At the time of the accident, she was working full-time as a high school drug and alcohol counselor, pursuing her bachelor's degree, and doing all the amazing mom things that always seem like magic. She opened our home to all my friends, making sure they had a hot meal and a safe place to sleep. My friends loved her so much that they would hang out with her, even when I wasn't around. An early riser, she loved to hike, camp, and collect shells on the beach. Most of all, she had an enduring optimism that never waivered, no matter how dark things got. She never allowed me to wallow in my bad days, and her catchphrase has always been, "The glass is half full Mo!"

After the accident, things were rough. No longer able to work, she would be forced to sell our family home and move to Mexico in order to help cover her medical expenses. She could no longer afford to live in the U.S. and still have a normal life. For the next decade, we would become entangled in a lawsuit against the insurance companies in order to try and pay down some of the debt she owed. In the end, the lawsuit would be abandoned by the lawyers we trusted and she would end up owing more money than when she started. She would go from an early riser, to barely being able to get out of bed some mornings, and the days of hiking were gone as she struggled to walk down the street. Constant headaches, osteoporosis, crippling knee, shoulder, and hip pain, and throughout it all she would keep smiling at me and saying, "The glass is half full Mo!" That's the kind of person my mother is.

Fifteen years on, she has done everything she can to remain healthy, strong, and happy. She exercises as much as possible, does regular acupuncture, eats healthy, and swims regularly (though floating might be a more accurate term). She has not been idle and has always remained steadfast in her resolve to one day be able to dance again. She volunteers for a local cat rescue when she has the energy and continues to give back to her community. Until recently, she was making great progress towards her physical goals. However, she has developed several interwoven issues, and the doctors have determined that she will need a femur head replacement. This surgery will be a game changer. Her quality of life will be vastly improved, allowing her to have many more good days where she can exercise and continue to get stronger.

SOME DETAILS

As I said, she normally lives in Mexico but has spent the last several months living with me inside my small studio apartment in order to make this surgery happen. She has already spent a large portion of her savings and has recently been prescribed a very expensive medication that her insurance will not cover. This is new medication will help improve her bone density and minimize the risks of complications during surgery.

At a minimum, she will undergo one surgery requiring four months of recovery. Part of this will occur in a rehab facility if her insurance approves it. Outside of that, she will need a wheelchair-accessible place to recover. I currently live in a small converted garage. My studio apartment has many steps, and I live in a very steep neighborhood. Not only that, but I am a martial arts teacher, and I do not have the financial means to support both of us while she recovers. Our plan is to rent out a private AirBNB where she can recover safely and as comfortably as possible.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO ME

It is an understatement to say that the world is a brighter place because my mom is in it. She has taught me how to endure without bitterness, to find joy in the heartache, and that giving to others is the surest cure for sadness. As anyone who knows her will tell you: Her cackle is infectious, her jokes are painfully corny, and she has always been there for others. Even when they didn't like her, even when she didn't like them, even when it was easier to walk away, my mother has always done the hard things because that is who she is. She deserves to dance again.

Sincerely,

Mo