Losing Her Leg to Save Her Life: Anna's Journey
Donation protected
My mother, Anna, suffers from a variety of medical problems but she always persevered. She never let anything keep her down. That all changed when an infected diabetic ulceration under her foot threatened her very existence.
What started as a tiny pinprick from stepping on a tack grew into an infected ulceration that covered her entire heel. Despite months of treatments with an arsenal of techniques, the wound simply would not heal. My mother’s health declined as the ulceration spread, but staying true to her inner warrior, she tried to defeat it on her own. Over the course of the next few days, she stopped being able to walk. She could not stand. She hardly even had the strength to speak. We knew something was seriously wrong, but still, we believed she could beat anything. Even as I dialed 911, I had full faith that my mom would be okay – just a few days in the hospital and she would be back to her old self.
Twelve hospitalized days of intense IV antibiotics later, my mother’s foot continued to worsen, as did her general health. Her blood pressure and temperature dropped to dangerous levels. She developed sepsis. Her kidneys began to shut down. The infection spread into her bone and built up so much pressure that her foot actually broke. A secondary, larger ulceration formed behind her heel and the two wounds quickly merged. Her muscles and bones were visible through the wounds. This infection was physically eating her alive, and without severe measures, it would have continued to travel through her bones and her body.
The decision was sudden and it was incomprehensively hard. But when my mother’s entire medical team said they had to take her leg to save her life, we had to listen. Two days later, she had her left leg amputated beneath the knee. And while I will never regret a decision that saved my mother’s life, I truly do not know how to handle the aftermath.
I knew there would be physical hurdles after losing a limb. I knew there would be a lot of emotions. But there is a big difference between knowing and understanding. Now that we have been thrust into this experience, I realize that nothing could have prepared us for our current reality. Nothing could have made us understand the wholly consuming impact of trying to move forward while hovering in place – and that’s exactly what we’re doing both literally and metaphorically.
As my mom keeps telling me, the hardest thing is trying to stand up and saying “Where’s the ground?” She always led with her left foot. Her right just kind of followed. Now each time she tries to stand, she’s lost. Her knee stretches and reaches but there is no ground. There is no leg or foot to find the ground. So every attempt to stand up and move forward ... she crumbles. She realizes what she’s missing all over again. Her heart is broken and my soul shatters each time I hear her.
My mother is the most selfless, caring person I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. She deserves so much better than this. And while I can never restore what she’s lost, together we can help her find her new normal. We can make her feel whole. I beg you to please help me do my part to make that possible. Please help us find some new ground.
The Financial Situation
My mom has a long journey ahead of her, both physically and mentally. While she tries to retrain her body and mind in an acute rehabilitation center, I am trying to transform our house into a functional home for her. After all she’s been through, I cannot bear the thought of her returning to a house where everything is suddenly inaccessible.
As I get deeper into conversations with social workers and medical personnel, my list of projected expenses spirals further away from what I can feasibly gather in such an immediate hurry. Each conversation and research session brings about new needs. And while I will certainly cover everything I possibly can, some of these things are just too far out of reach.
If I hope to bring my mother a modicum of normalcy, I will need serious help trying to afford these three main things.
1. The Entryway – While we hope my mom will someday be able to walk again, she will be in a wheelchair for the foreseeable future. We live on a hill and there are seven steps to get into the house. With all her future doctor’s appointments in the middle of New England weather, we need to create a new entryway with an accompanying wheelchair ramp. Thanks to some super skilled family and friends, we have the labor covered, but we estimate that we will need at least $6,000 in materials and permits.
2. The Shower – Along with other renovations and modifications we are already working on, my mother is going to need a walk-in shower. We will need to have this professionally installed and we anticipate spending approximately $3,200.
3. The Prosthetic - A prosthetic leg costs anywhere from $10,000 to $70,000. While the insurance will cover at least some of this, we will need to come up with more, especially if we want her to have a cosmetic cover. While I realize it is more important for my mother to be able to walk again than for her prosthetic to look like a real leg, I cannot begin to describe how much this piece of normality would mean to her.
My immediate family and I are truly doing as much as we can to pay for my mom’s return. There are just so many things we need and the prices add up quickly. From grab bars to closets to mobility devices, I don’t even know how much we have already spent while trying to turn the entire downstairs into an amputee friendly environment. We will continue to do our best on smaller household items, medical bills, and currently unknown expenses. But when it comes to the three big things, we are at a loss and we will be eternally grateful to anyone who can help.
Worlds of Gratitude
My mom is the kind of person who does everything in her power to help those around her. She is always there when someone needs financial support, whether it is for a school fundraiser, walking for a cause, or supporting someone here on GoFundMe.
So as I sit here typing this, before I even share it with you, I am already an emotional mess over the sheer concept of people coming together to help her now that she is the one in need.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Whether you make a donation or help spread the word, every action makes such a tremendous difference. I appreciate each act of support more than I could ever depict and I can’t thank you enough for helping to make my mother’s world a better place by being in it.
Truly, thank you.
What started as a tiny pinprick from stepping on a tack grew into an infected ulceration that covered her entire heel. Despite months of treatments with an arsenal of techniques, the wound simply would not heal. My mother’s health declined as the ulceration spread, but staying true to her inner warrior, she tried to defeat it on her own. Over the course of the next few days, she stopped being able to walk. She could not stand. She hardly even had the strength to speak. We knew something was seriously wrong, but still, we believed she could beat anything. Even as I dialed 911, I had full faith that my mom would be okay – just a few days in the hospital and she would be back to her old self.
Twelve hospitalized days of intense IV antibiotics later, my mother’s foot continued to worsen, as did her general health. Her blood pressure and temperature dropped to dangerous levels. She developed sepsis. Her kidneys began to shut down. The infection spread into her bone and built up so much pressure that her foot actually broke. A secondary, larger ulceration formed behind her heel and the two wounds quickly merged. Her muscles and bones were visible through the wounds. This infection was physically eating her alive, and without severe measures, it would have continued to travel through her bones and her body.
The decision was sudden and it was incomprehensively hard. But when my mother’s entire medical team said they had to take her leg to save her life, we had to listen. Two days later, she had her left leg amputated beneath the knee. And while I will never regret a decision that saved my mother’s life, I truly do not know how to handle the aftermath.
I knew there would be physical hurdles after losing a limb. I knew there would be a lot of emotions. But there is a big difference between knowing and understanding. Now that we have been thrust into this experience, I realize that nothing could have prepared us for our current reality. Nothing could have made us understand the wholly consuming impact of trying to move forward while hovering in place – and that’s exactly what we’re doing both literally and metaphorically.
As my mom keeps telling me, the hardest thing is trying to stand up and saying “Where’s the ground?” She always led with her left foot. Her right just kind of followed. Now each time she tries to stand, she’s lost. Her knee stretches and reaches but there is no ground. There is no leg or foot to find the ground. So every attempt to stand up and move forward ... she crumbles. She realizes what she’s missing all over again. Her heart is broken and my soul shatters each time I hear her.
My mother is the most selfless, caring person I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. She deserves so much better than this. And while I can never restore what she’s lost, together we can help her find her new normal. We can make her feel whole. I beg you to please help me do my part to make that possible. Please help us find some new ground.
The Financial Situation
My mom has a long journey ahead of her, both physically and mentally. While she tries to retrain her body and mind in an acute rehabilitation center, I am trying to transform our house into a functional home for her. After all she’s been through, I cannot bear the thought of her returning to a house where everything is suddenly inaccessible.
As I get deeper into conversations with social workers and medical personnel, my list of projected expenses spirals further away from what I can feasibly gather in such an immediate hurry. Each conversation and research session brings about new needs. And while I will certainly cover everything I possibly can, some of these things are just too far out of reach.
If I hope to bring my mother a modicum of normalcy, I will need serious help trying to afford these three main things.
1. The Entryway – While we hope my mom will someday be able to walk again, she will be in a wheelchair for the foreseeable future. We live on a hill and there are seven steps to get into the house. With all her future doctor’s appointments in the middle of New England weather, we need to create a new entryway with an accompanying wheelchair ramp. Thanks to some super skilled family and friends, we have the labor covered, but we estimate that we will need at least $6,000 in materials and permits.
2. The Shower – Along with other renovations and modifications we are already working on, my mother is going to need a walk-in shower. We will need to have this professionally installed and we anticipate spending approximately $3,200.
3. The Prosthetic - A prosthetic leg costs anywhere from $10,000 to $70,000. While the insurance will cover at least some of this, we will need to come up with more, especially if we want her to have a cosmetic cover. While I realize it is more important for my mother to be able to walk again than for her prosthetic to look like a real leg, I cannot begin to describe how much this piece of normality would mean to her.
My immediate family and I are truly doing as much as we can to pay for my mom’s return. There are just so many things we need and the prices add up quickly. From grab bars to closets to mobility devices, I don’t even know how much we have already spent while trying to turn the entire downstairs into an amputee friendly environment. We will continue to do our best on smaller household items, medical bills, and currently unknown expenses. But when it comes to the three big things, we are at a loss and we will be eternally grateful to anyone who can help.
Worlds of Gratitude
My mom is the kind of person who does everything in her power to help those around her. She is always there when someone needs financial support, whether it is for a school fundraiser, walking for a cause, or supporting someone here on GoFundMe.
So as I sit here typing this, before I even share it with you, I am already an emotional mess over the sheer concept of people coming together to help her now that she is the one in need.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Whether you make a donation or help spread the word, every action makes such a tremendous difference. I appreciate each act of support more than I could ever depict and I can’t thank you enough for helping to make my mother’s world a better place by being in it.
Truly, thank you.
Organizer
Tricia Psarreas Murray
Organizer
Lynn, MA
