A Good Day For Anna
Donation protected
The above picture is my friend, Anna Casey (Long) with her husband Bill at the St Louis Zoo
I have known Anna since the early 2000’s, and after reaching out to a group of her friends, this idea was born on August 5, 2020 because Anna needs your help. Here’s what she told us:
“I smile through my pain, do my best to make others laugh and remain steadfast in believing that life will get better. That’s a good day. In the past year and a half since I’ve been unable to work, and the hits keep coming, the good days feel like they’re harder to find. I feel like a burden to my husband more and more every day. “
In A Nutshell
During the last 4 years, we have watched in love and awe as Anna took on big setbacks in her physical health, and kept up her joy de vivre. Her major surgery is scheduled at Northwestern Memorial in downtown Chicago on August 11, 2020, and she is facing down medical bills not covered by her insurance, accumulating from her chronic medical conditions. Anna and Bill are also confronting the loss of Bill’s job, which ended after 14 and ½ years on 7/30/20. These two are tough, full of positive thoughts and daily prayer, but they are weary. Any donations, small or big, will help to reinvigorate Anna for this next step in her journey.
Want to know more?
Here’s a complete rundown from Anna of what’s been going on with her medically over the past 3 years:
Anna’s medical conditions
Lymphedema
Diagnosed with bilateral lower extremity lymphedema in 2017, this condition requires custom compression garments 24/7. The garments need to be replaced every 6 months. Anna is vigilant about skin care and manual lymphatic drainage exercises, including deep breathing, daily. It is a very misunderstood condition. Insurance companies question every line item and in Anna’s case, later refused several thousand dollars in charges. The physical toll is just the tip of the iceberg.
Cardiac and Neurological Issues
Mid 2018 brought cardiac issues including a visit to the cardiac catheterization lab. Anna was diagnosed with, and continues to be monitored for, an aortic root enlargement.
In late 2018 she began having intense electrical shocks on the left side of her face, accompanied with jaw pain that radiated into her ear and behind her eye. At times even a breath of wind on her skin can be excruciating. The neurology team at Northwestern Memorial in Chicago diagnosed Anna in February of 2019 with Trigeminal Neuralgia, Occipital Neuralgia and Cervicogenic headaches. She underwent trials of medications, as well as steroid injections to the face and neck, and endured constant pain. In the end – November of 2019 – she also underwent Cochlear Otosclerosis surgery which will require a hearing aid planned for one year after this surgery.
Cervical spondylosis with myelopathy
During 2019 Anna and her husband made more than 30 visits to Northwestern, traveling to Chicago in all kinds of weather. Her neurologist ordered a cervical spine MRI which revealed moderate to severe spinal cord compression which had led to cervical spondylosis with myelopathy. First stage of treatment was at-home traction with an inflatable collar, as well as 2-3 months of physical therapy. Muscle relaxers and ice packs became her constant companions. She was advised to purchase an adjustable bed, which has provided great relief. However, by October 2019 funds were running very low, and credit cards were taking up the slack. She was deemed a candidate for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion — ACDF — with Northwestern’s top spine specialist. That was put on hold until this August, due to a malignancy found during her annual mammogram.
Breast Cancer – the sucker punch
Results of Anna’s routine annual mammogram and ultrasound led to 2 biopsies at Northwestern’s Prentice Women’s Hospital in November 2019. On December 10, 2019, her breast cancer surgeon diagnosed cancer of the right breast. Invasive ductal carcinoma, early stage. Anna and Bill were stunned. Angry. Numb. Determined to fight back.
In January 2020 she had her lumpectomy followed in February 2020 with an oncoplastic breast reduction. For 4 weeks in mid-March 2020 Anna was driving an hour each way for daily radiation treatments, while the rest of the world stayed at home due to the pandemic. Fatigue and increased lymphedema were the side effects of the radiation, but she kept her smile through it all.
June 2020 brought a clean mammogram and ultrasound, great news! 5 years of Tamoxifen therapy and the mastectomy bras are her follow-up.
Despite the events that brought us today, Anna has great hope for recovery!
Besides a brief stint at work from February to April 2019, Anna has been on long term medical leave. Her partial salary is enough to cover her health insurance premiums, and she is grateful for that! She smiles in words and pictures, but suffers deeply. Anna’s sense of humor, faith in God, and amazing husband have carried her through. Her spine surgery (the ACDF described above) is scheduled for August 11th. After that she will wear a hard collar for 6-8 weeks plus do more physical therapy. With the direction of her trusted medical team, Anna will then work towards returning to the work she loves, for the state of IL.
Our small but feisty team of friends was formed to offer Anna and Bill moral and financial support. It was quickly suggested that a Go Fund Me page could help re-invigorate Anna for this next step in her journey. Hope for more good days!
Our Calculations
Covering the balance of her past medical bills, the ongoing DME/supplies for the next 12 months, and transportation costs will provide Anna with a roadmap to getting back on track with the day to day of life. The goal here is to keep her car going, pay off the credit card she used for deductibles, anticipate upcoming copays and travel expenses, estimated costs for the hearing aid, approximately 12 PT visits, 2 days in the hospital (estimated), and lymphedema garments for the next year. That all comes to $28,250. Please help Anna and Bill get a handle on this!
Thank you for visiting! Do not hesitate to reach out to me through this GoFundMe page if you have any questions. Most of all, thank you for supporting Anna through our GoFundMe for her!
We’ll finish our story with a quote from Anna’s husband, Bill:
“Sometimes I feel defeated and depressed. The breast cancer diagnosis really knocked the wind out of me. Through it all, it’s really shown me how much I love Anna. Her strength is what helps me.”
I have known Anna since the early 2000’s, and after reaching out to a group of her friends, this idea was born on August 5, 2020 because Anna needs your help. Here’s what she told us:
“I smile through my pain, do my best to make others laugh and remain steadfast in believing that life will get better. That’s a good day. In the past year and a half since I’ve been unable to work, and the hits keep coming, the good days feel like they’re harder to find. I feel like a burden to my husband more and more every day. “
In A Nutshell
During the last 4 years, we have watched in love and awe as Anna took on big setbacks in her physical health, and kept up her joy de vivre. Her major surgery is scheduled at Northwestern Memorial in downtown Chicago on August 11, 2020, and she is facing down medical bills not covered by her insurance, accumulating from her chronic medical conditions. Anna and Bill are also confronting the loss of Bill’s job, which ended after 14 and ½ years on 7/30/20. These two are tough, full of positive thoughts and daily prayer, but they are weary. Any donations, small or big, will help to reinvigorate Anna for this next step in her journey.
Want to know more?
Here’s a complete rundown from Anna of what’s been going on with her medically over the past 3 years:
Anna’s medical conditions
Lymphedema
Diagnosed with bilateral lower extremity lymphedema in 2017, this condition requires custom compression garments 24/7. The garments need to be replaced every 6 months. Anna is vigilant about skin care and manual lymphatic drainage exercises, including deep breathing, daily. It is a very misunderstood condition. Insurance companies question every line item and in Anna’s case, later refused several thousand dollars in charges. The physical toll is just the tip of the iceberg.
Cardiac and Neurological Issues
Mid 2018 brought cardiac issues including a visit to the cardiac catheterization lab. Anna was diagnosed with, and continues to be monitored for, an aortic root enlargement.
In late 2018 she began having intense electrical shocks on the left side of her face, accompanied with jaw pain that radiated into her ear and behind her eye. At times even a breath of wind on her skin can be excruciating. The neurology team at Northwestern Memorial in Chicago diagnosed Anna in February of 2019 with Trigeminal Neuralgia, Occipital Neuralgia and Cervicogenic headaches. She underwent trials of medications, as well as steroid injections to the face and neck, and endured constant pain. In the end – November of 2019 – she also underwent Cochlear Otosclerosis surgery which will require a hearing aid planned for one year after this surgery.
Cervical spondylosis with myelopathy
During 2019 Anna and her husband made more than 30 visits to Northwestern, traveling to Chicago in all kinds of weather. Her neurologist ordered a cervical spine MRI which revealed moderate to severe spinal cord compression which had led to cervical spondylosis with myelopathy. First stage of treatment was at-home traction with an inflatable collar, as well as 2-3 months of physical therapy. Muscle relaxers and ice packs became her constant companions. She was advised to purchase an adjustable bed, which has provided great relief. However, by October 2019 funds were running very low, and credit cards were taking up the slack. She was deemed a candidate for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion — ACDF — with Northwestern’s top spine specialist. That was put on hold until this August, due to a malignancy found during her annual mammogram.
Breast Cancer – the sucker punch
Results of Anna’s routine annual mammogram and ultrasound led to 2 biopsies at Northwestern’s Prentice Women’s Hospital in November 2019. On December 10, 2019, her breast cancer surgeon diagnosed cancer of the right breast. Invasive ductal carcinoma, early stage. Anna and Bill were stunned. Angry. Numb. Determined to fight back.
In January 2020 she had her lumpectomy followed in February 2020 with an oncoplastic breast reduction. For 4 weeks in mid-March 2020 Anna was driving an hour each way for daily radiation treatments, while the rest of the world stayed at home due to the pandemic. Fatigue and increased lymphedema were the side effects of the radiation, but she kept her smile through it all.
June 2020 brought a clean mammogram and ultrasound, great news! 5 years of Tamoxifen therapy and the mastectomy bras are her follow-up.
Despite the events that brought us today, Anna has great hope for recovery!
Besides a brief stint at work from February to April 2019, Anna has been on long term medical leave. Her partial salary is enough to cover her health insurance premiums, and she is grateful for that! She smiles in words and pictures, but suffers deeply. Anna’s sense of humor, faith in God, and amazing husband have carried her through. Her spine surgery (the ACDF described above) is scheduled for August 11th. After that she will wear a hard collar for 6-8 weeks plus do more physical therapy. With the direction of her trusted medical team, Anna will then work towards returning to the work she loves, for the state of IL.
Our small but feisty team of friends was formed to offer Anna and Bill moral and financial support. It was quickly suggested that a Go Fund Me page could help re-invigorate Anna for this next step in her journey. Hope for more good days!
Our Calculations
Covering the balance of her past medical bills, the ongoing DME/supplies for the next 12 months, and transportation costs will provide Anna with a roadmap to getting back on track with the day to day of life. The goal here is to keep her car going, pay off the credit card she used for deductibles, anticipate upcoming copays and travel expenses, estimated costs for the hearing aid, approximately 12 PT visits, 2 days in the hospital (estimated), and lymphedema garments for the next year. That all comes to $28,250. Please help Anna and Bill get a handle on this!
Thank you for visiting! Do not hesitate to reach out to me through this GoFundMe page if you have any questions. Most of all, thank you for supporting Anna through our GoFundMe for her!
We’ll finish our story with a quote from Anna’s husband, Bill:
“Sometimes I feel defeated and depressed. The breast cancer diagnosis really knocked the wind out of me. Through it all, it’s really shown me how much I love Anna. Her strength is what helps me.”
Co-organisers (3)
Michelle Proksa
Organiser
Ottawa, IL
Anna Casey
Beneficiary
CHRISTINA JESIOLOWSKI
Co-organiser
Megan Krey
Co-organiser