Help Suzanne with NYC rehab and flying home

[PHOTO: That "thing" you're looking at is my post-surgery navel (today) in the middle of an abdominal incision. Seriously, my navel. SOOOO gross, sorry. But well-done, it seems.

We're three-quarters of the way to Suzanne's ambitious goal. She's recovering from her (above) lifesaving surgery, but unfortunately a hospital employee intentionally pushed her to the ground, breaking her pelvis and pubic bones. For now, she can no longer walk.

With HSS (the best ortho hospital in town) right next door, she is being shipped off to an unnamed skilled nursing facility at noon tomorrow, 7/24/2025 without orthopedic treatment because...well..."they need the room." As well as some distance from a potential "excessive force" lawsuit. [As if, things didn't already seem out of control.]

But to continue, these GFM funds were spent during the past year and a-half. Last April, 2024, the PillCamera showed that a "resection," [medical term] caused by a previous bowel perforation, was about to perforate again--which would have been deadly. Thank you for not letting that happen. Thank you for sticking with her.

The challenge is not quite over.

Two previous attempts to repair her small bowel failed. One in New York last August 2024 when the anticipated surgery was abandoned because Suzanne got Covid in New York.. A second attempt, at Mayo Clinic Rochester MN in January 2025 turned out to be unaffordable travel-wise. Mayo's system required many short visits to Rochester for minor prep appointments--airfare & hotel each time--and no assurance of completion.

So, the wise move was back to NYC and Dr. Jeffrey Milsom who finally did the honors.

In the gigantic O.R. (sorry, no pics allowed), two surgeons did their jobs. One determined the exact location where the fix was needed using a delicate, new-ish Enteroscopic viewing procedure (not yet available to her in Austin, TX). Finally, the second surgeon, Dr. Milsom, cut an "open" entry to remove the ulcerated bowel segment and scar tissue. Then he reconnected the remaining freshly-cut ends of the bowel.

This resection was performed on July 11, 2025 at Weill Cornell New York Presbyterian Hospital, 525 E. 68th St. New York City where Suzanne has occupied Room 201 in wing 14 North.

by Barbara Lippert

https://gofund.me/67c1061e

Bravo! We've reached 60 percent of the goal. Suzanne O’Malley is a well-known journalist, a pro’s pro who wrote for Law & Order (yes, that's Sam Waterston) and saved Andrea Yates’ life with the reporting she did in Edgar Award-nominated book. She wants to get back on her feet medically/financially so she can finish her book about writer Nora Ephron. Her Austin doctors have recommended a THIRD small bowel resection surgery, a major surgery that failed twice before and has ulcerated causing internal bleeding. She's hoping for a new option at Weill Cornell hospital in NYC where an "advanced enteroscopic repair" might be possible without the damage of traditional surgery. We know she'll need plane fare, hotel (or a friend's invitation to house guest), medication, support to keep her home and her pup Leo. She lives on Social Security and a small WGA pension, spending almost a $1,000 a month on health insurance. But big ticket medication is $11,500 a month WITH insurance. Not a lot of empathy from Big Pharma.

In the last five years Suzanne has endured health challenges. She’s had five major surgeries--spinal fusion, two hip replacements and two intestinal obstruction surgeries. She has post-Covid pneumonia and is pursuing evidence of a genetic disorder that prevents digestion and absorption of iron. She is still hoping for a happy ending, but it's tough.

Suzanne has been brave. She researched our expose of the ‘Golden Bachelor’ from her hospital bed, on her phone, while recovering from her first hip surgery.

As you can imagine, it's not easy for her to ask for public help; we forced her to do this.

So, if you could find it in your heart to help a girl out, she'll get the care she needs, get back on her feet and continue to do the important work she does so well. She has no desire to retire.

She just needs not to have to choose between groceries and medication she gets from Canada, where it’s cheaper. Thank you so much for considering contributing! Every bit helps so much. Words of encouragement are appreciated. Thanks. Barbara