Hi! 

My name is Marilyn Gunderson and I have a dear friend who is on a path in her life that she did not chose.   Her name is Gail Martinelli Parker.  September 18th she had a routine surgery on an out-patient basis and returned home with her pain medications.  Gail had a negative reaction to the meds and stopped the narcotics and continued with just the Tylenol.  Four days later she was rushed to the hospital by her daughter.   After a few tests, she was immediately admitted to ICU, diagnosed with acute liver and kidney failure due to an unknown cause.  She was intubated and sedated.  This was the beginning of the Path not Chosen.

The following day, Gail was life flighted to the University of Washington Medical Center for a possible liver transplant.  At this point in the process her daughter was advised to gather loved ones as the prognosis did not look good for Gail.

My friend is no quitter.....she survived and continued facing issue after issue...sometimes not sure if she wanted to stick around for more...she answered her own questions by fighting back and continued to go forward two steps, back two or three....She was  at the UW Medical Center until October 9, 2019.  Most of her time there she was intubated and sedated.  October 9 she was transferred back to Kootenai Medical Center as she was out of immediate danger of needing the liver transplant

Gail has been in the hospital for 125 days before going into a rehabilitation center and she has had to have  multiple surgeries, has liver failure, 3 days a week of dialysis and was diagnosed with end stage renal failure.  Her path now includes dialysis until she receives a transplant and also a liver transplant.

During all of this time, trials and tribulations, she has had two constants...her will to live and her amazing children, Kristin, Ken and his wife Erin.

After 125 days in hospital care Gail was transferred to Sandpoint for Rehab.  She will be there for two to three weeks. When she is strong enough  she will be going to live with her daughter and grandchildren.  

That will begin another path...to do home dialysis and begin a new normal. 

The bills are high, the costs of care are high, the outcome is going to keep being  costly.  Yes, there maybe help via Medicare, but we don’t know....

I am doing this to assist with the many many incidental costs and hopefully bring a little peace of mind to my friend.    Updates will be coming on Gail's progress.

We thank you in advance for your thoughts, prayers and good vibes and donations if able.