Joining Together-Nikki Strong

When I was 3 years old, I met my neighbor, Nichole (Davis) Morrisey, who would turn out to be my best friend, truly like a sister to me.  All that life as ever thrown at us, good or bad, we’ve been through together. Life is no longer what we would have envisioned for her as we were growing up. She has been dealt a bad hand and is taking every day in stride and with strength, all while keeping a positive outlook.  Her amazingly supportive husband, Sean and son, Cobie (16yrs) have been by her side.  Nikki is a fighter. She always has been and always will be. That is something no one will ever question.  Sean and Cobie are the major factors in her continued strength to fight.  Cobie and her have a special bond.  It saddens her and builds up even more stress knowing he has to witness all that she’s going through.  

During a routine surgery, a surgeon severed Nikki’s vagus nerve, which has left her with a long list of diagnoses that have no cure and cause excruciating pain.
-Gastroparesis
-Complete global motility from her esophagus to her colon
-Visceral hypersensitivity throughout her body from the nerve damage
-Bradycardia, dangerously slow heart rate
-Trachycardia, her heart races and can reach 170 BPM even laying down
-Fibromyalgia
This all has also lead to numerous other health concerns that continue to snowball....
-Severe weight lose
-Seizures
-Lung and breathing problems causing her to be put on oxygen
-Heart attacks, SMAS Syndrome due to lack of fat in the body
-A pacemaker implanted at the age of 39, due to the Bradycardia
-Anemia
-Ischemic colitis, lack of blow flow to both colon and intestines due to dehydration and malnutrition, which could cause her to loose her colon.
-She has attempted numerous ports and feeding tubes to give her nutrients and prevent dehydration, all of which have ended with refeeding, severe blood infections and cepsis...and the list goes on.  
In order for her to get the necessary nutrition and stay hydrated, she just had a surgery for a port to be placed under her skin that can essentially “feed” her.

Because of all of this, Nikki is now considered “disabled”. She can no longer work, as she has no energy and sleeps well above the average amount of hours most adults need in a day. Between the back and forth trips to doctors appointments, Allen hospital, The Mayo Clinic, University of Iowa Hospitals, with gas, hotels, Sean taking time off work, it all adds up!  Nikki and Sean are such giving people to others, yet when I brought up the idea of this to them, they were very hesitant. But here’s the thing....so many people have asked how they can help, what they can do for Nikki, they wish they could do more, etc...so here is that chance!!!

Specialists from all over have evaluated Nikki’s situation.  Every time they are hopeful the doctors will have answers, then they come up empty handed. Nikki and Sean have been told this is the worse case scenario and her life is now in God’s hands.  The new port she had implanted and the treatments she will receive are high risk but they are left with no other options.  Even though she is now disabled, her insurance will NOT cover this at home treatment, which will cost $1,800 a month. Some days are a struggle for her to even get off the couch, yet they won’t cover these necessary treatments!

The goal with this GoFundMe page is to relieve some of the stresses associated with the upcoming year of treatments and any other expenses they have been faced with.  As the saying goes, “Many hands make light work”. Please consider what you are comfortable donating and if we ALL work together with this, even the smallest donations will add up to have a great impact. Life is stressful enough.  Nikki, Sean and Cobie have handled it with grace, humor, love for each other, and gratitude for all of the support and prayers they have received along the way. Thank you for taking the time to reading this and supporting The Morrissey’s.
All my best, 
Kristie