Recovery Fund to Help Elaine Lopes, Mother to Many
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Hello.
I am raising money for our beloved nanny, Elaine, who woke up on the morning of Saturday, June 13th, with excruciating back pain that was so severe she could not walk on her own. I started this campaign for her to raise money to help cover the cost of her physical therapy, which her insurance does not cover, as well as the other medical expenses that insurance fails to cover such as MRIs and ER co-pays which are $250 per visit. Currently she owes $4,300 and that number will increase with the continued medical needed for her to be able to walk again. My goal is to raise $15,000 to cover all of the medical bills and some of her living expenses as she has not been able to work in 3 months and counting.
Elainey, as we call her, has a kind and nurturing heart. She is attentive and loving to my son and we have been incredibly blessed to have her in our lives. Before she was injured, Elaine would take my son to the park or the beach every weekday afternoon and run around and play until it was dark. On rainy days, they'd go to the science center or the library. My son has special needs and he is by no means the easiest child to care for, but you would not know that if you saw the two of them together. Beyond being a wonderful nanny and caregiver to my son, the attention Elaine pays to him and the constant exposure to nature she provided him has played an important role in my son's development and progress.
Doctors are still baffled by what caused the injury, but they have identified the source of pain. Elaine has a 3mm bulging disc in her spine that made it impossible for her to walk for 2 months. She was constantly in doctor offices, or the ER, chiropractic and othropedics but nothing relieved the pain. Finally, she was told surgery was the only option and a last resort. Before scheduling a surgery, she was referred to Dr. Su of Movement Therapy. Elaine began routine physical therapy sessions two months ago. Relief was not immediate, but with her continued therapy and hard work , Elaine is slowly on the road to making a full recovery.
There was one wonderful hiccup in Elaine's recovery that is a testament of her amazing character and her commitment to children. On August 17th, shortly after she called me with an update, that she would be able to return to work in about a week, she went to her community's jacuzzi. When she got there, she saw a man pulling his lifeless little boy from the bottom of the jacuzzi. Elaine ran over to them and the man handed the boy to her. She said she'd never moved so fast in her life and didn't know how she did it or how she had the physical strength to hold the child, let alone to lay him on the ground and perform CPR. She believes it is God who helped her.
Elaine's knowledge of CPR enabled her to revive this lucky boy prior to fire department and paramedics arrival. The paramedics thanked her and told her that every second was critical, that the boy may not have survived, had he been deprived of oxygen any longer.
Elaine said to me, "I was supposed to be working this evening. These past few months have been so difficult .. I don't know what I am going to do... but if I had been at work I would not have been there to save this boy. All of the pain and stress were not for nothing, this was supposed to happen because I was meant to be there-- at the jacuzzi at that exact moment." I cried and said to Elainey, "Regardless of one's beliefs I don't know how anyone could see this circumstance in any other way. This was God's plan for you."
The little boy spent the night in the hospital and was released the next day! Elaine however, had a setback in her recovery...the physical effort to save the boy put too much strain on her healing back and she was again not able to walk for a week. She continues with her therapy and the progress is slow, but steady. She will not be able to work for a few more months and even then, it may be touch and go for up to a year.
Please share this campaign and give if you are able....every little bit helps! I hope to lessen her stress and worry because that is also hindering a speedy recovery. It would be wonderful if she could focus solely on healing her body. Elaine is an amazing human being and is deserving of this help.
Thank you for reading her story please share it on social media and with family and friends. This is a simple way to make an immense impact. We are all overwhelmed with Covid, fires, politics- climate change - BUT I feel that donating to Elaine, is an easy way to make a meaningful impact- help someone who is hurting -- it takes a village! Please donate if you can. Thank you.
I am raising money for our beloved nanny, Elaine, who woke up on the morning of Saturday, June 13th, with excruciating back pain that was so severe she could not walk on her own. I started this campaign for her to raise money to help cover the cost of her physical therapy, which her insurance does not cover, as well as the other medical expenses that insurance fails to cover such as MRIs and ER co-pays which are $250 per visit. Currently she owes $4,300 and that number will increase with the continued medical needed for her to be able to walk again. My goal is to raise $15,000 to cover all of the medical bills and some of her living expenses as she has not been able to work in 3 months and counting.
Elainey, as we call her, has a kind and nurturing heart. She is attentive and loving to my son and we have been incredibly blessed to have her in our lives. Before she was injured, Elaine would take my son to the park or the beach every weekday afternoon and run around and play until it was dark. On rainy days, they'd go to the science center or the library. My son has special needs and he is by no means the easiest child to care for, but you would not know that if you saw the two of them together. Beyond being a wonderful nanny and caregiver to my son, the attention Elaine pays to him and the constant exposure to nature she provided him has played an important role in my son's development and progress.
Doctors are still baffled by what caused the injury, but they have identified the source of pain. Elaine has a 3mm bulging disc in her spine that made it impossible for her to walk for 2 months. She was constantly in doctor offices, or the ER, chiropractic and othropedics but nothing relieved the pain. Finally, she was told surgery was the only option and a last resort. Before scheduling a surgery, she was referred to Dr. Su of Movement Therapy. Elaine began routine physical therapy sessions two months ago. Relief was not immediate, but with her continued therapy and hard work , Elaine is slowly on the road to making a full recovery.
There was one wonderful hiccup in Elaine's recovery that is a testament of her amazing character and her commitment to children. On August 17th, shortly after she called me with an update, that she would be able to return to work in about a week, she went to her community's jacuzzi. When she got there, she saw a man pulling his lifeless little boy from the bottom of the jacuzzi. Elaine ran over to them and the man handed the boy to her. She said she'd never moved so fast in her life and didn't know how she did it or how she had the physical strength to hold the child, let alone to lay him on the ground and perform CPR. She believes it is God who helped her.
Elaine's knowledge of CPR enabled her to revive this lucky boy prior to fire department and paramedics arrival. The paramedics thanked her and told her that every second was critical, that the boy may not have survived, had he been deprived of oxygen any longer.
Elaine said to me, "I was supposed to be working this evening. These past few months have been so difficult .. I don't know what I am going to do... but if I had been at work I would not have been there to save this boy. All of the pain and stress were not for nothing, this was supposed to happen because I was meant to be there-- at the jacuzzi at that exact moment." I cried and said to Elainey, "Regardless of one's beliefs I don't know how anyone could see this circumstance in any other way. This was God's plan for you."
The little boy spent the night in the hospital and was released the next day! Elaine however, had a setback in her recovery...the physical effort to save the boy put too much strain on her healing back and she was again not able to walk for a week. She continues with her therapy and the progress is slow, but steady. She will not be able to work for a few more months and even then, it may be touch and go for up to a year.
Please share this campaign and give if you are able....every little bit helps! I hope to lessen her stress and worry because that is also hindering a speedy recovery. It would be wonderful if she could focus solely on healing her body. Elaine is an amazing human being and is deserving of this help.
Thank you for reading her story please share it on social media and with family and friends. This is a simple way to make an immense impact. We are all overwhelmed with Covid, fires, politics- climate change - BUT I feel that donating to Elaine, is an easy way to make a meaningful impact- help someone who is hurting -- it takes a village! Please donate if you can. Thank you.
Organizer
Maeve St Leger
Organizer
Newport Beach, CA