Hello family and friends,

On August 16, 2024, I was admitted into the ER with an infection that had caused swelling near my inner thigh. Through CT scans, my doctors concluded it was cellulitis. I was admitted for an overnight stay and the next morning, I was received an ultrasound on the affected area, after which they had to re-evaluate their earlier conclusion: there was actually an abscess beneath the cellulitis. This explained the fever, chills, and discomfort I had felt coming on for a week…

As was necessary to rid my body of the infection stemming from the abscess, I was immediately rushed into emergency surgery on the afternoon of August 17, 2024.

After an 90 minute procedure, the surgeons excavated beneath my skin roughly 17 cm(!) to remove the abscess. I was then taken to the Medical Surgery for an indeterminate amount of time to recover. My surgeons noted that this was one of the more challenging and severe cases of this nature they had ever encountered and that if I hadn’t received care, I very likely would have gone septic.

Further testing showed that I had a Staph infection and I was immediately given IV antibiotics to neutralize the current infection and prevent further infections. Even after the surgery to remove what they could the abscess, they installed a Penrose drain to help further eliminate any infection from my body.

This required daily care from the nurses in the Novant Health MedSurg Floor and on the basis of my surgeon’s daily visits, I would go on to spend 9 more days at the hospital. This decision was not taken lightly but an infection of the severity of which I was dealing with does not have one linear model of recovery. A hospital stay of 10 days allowed me to focus on my day-to-day recovery and help those who would be caring for me — my supportive partner — have an in-depth understanding of how to provide daily care for my wound post-hospitalization.

And through the daily guidances of a nurses, physicians and surgeons, I was able to leave the hospital on August 25.

My recovery process is ongoing and has been costly for many reasons which include but not limited to: missing work without pay due to the hospitalization, purchasing medical supplies for my extended recovery, and paying for the medical bills that weren’t covered by insurance.

The above reasons are why I am starting my GoFundme to help alleviate the financial burden of an emergency surgery. Please consider any financial support you can provide and sharing with your social network. Any support is gladly welcomed.

Thank you so much,

Felix