Hello,

My name is Louise Ndolo Hermann, the middle daughter of Nathan and Phoebe Ndolo. I have been dealing with non-COVID-related pulmonary embolisms, also known as blood clots in the lungs, since October 2022. By the grace of God and my mom, we were able to make it back to Reno, NV from Rapid City, SD in July 2024. The Renown doctors took my illness more seriously but were not able to find out the exact cause of the PEs and the congestive heart failure. They suspected it was the fibroids growing abnormally that caused the PEs to surface in the first place.

I had a hysterectomy that was completed in November last year. It took care of almost all my other issues except for the shortness of breath and chest pain. They knew that congestive heart failure had to do with something the PEs left behind.

A vascular doctor found the cause in February. I was diagnosed with CTEPH. Currently, I am 1 of 2 people in Northern Nevada that have it. It also affects 20% of the population in the world who have PEs. What happens is that embolisms leave scar tissue behind in the vessels of the lungs, restricting blood flow and oxygen to the rest of my body. The symptoms and the pain really act up when I have to walk for more than a couple of minutes, do simple house chores, endure extreme heat or cold weather, and when I sleep. My oxygen levels get really low. Sometimes I get wiped out from minimal activities and stay in bed or at home for a couple of days.

I have to sleep with oxygen on at night and have a portable oxygen machine that I have to take with me every time I leave the house. I currently take Adempas, which helps dilate the vessels, and I have to take anticoagulants to help maintain daily life.

The cure is called Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy (PTE) Surgery ( https://health.ucsd.edu/care/heart-vascular/pulmonary-hypertension/pte/).

There is only one hospital that I can go to, which is located in San Diego, CA. The hospital is called University San Diego Health. It's very invasive and it can take about 8-10 hours. The most scary part is that I will be put on a bypass machine during surgery. The recovery will take 1-2 months before I will be able to function normally again. From what I have read, most people won't have to use oxygen and Adempas again, but I would have to stay on the anticoagulants for life, which is the goal. I have a wonderful husband, family, friends, a grandson, and 3 dogs that help me keep going.

I want to be able to go walking for more than 10 minutes, where I can take a walk in the mall, go hiking, skating, and swimming. I want the pain in my lungs to subside and be able to lose weight so my diabetes will become more under control without taking many different types of insulin and helpers.

I will be heading to San Diego on 9/21 to start an outpatient part that will consist of multiple tests and evaluations on 9/23-9/25. The last day of tests, I will have an angiogram done. I will be down for a couple of days to recover from that test. The second part is scheduled to check into the hospital on Oct 1 for surgery on Oct 2. The hospital stay will be at least 7-10 days before I will be discharged from the hospital.

Along with prayers, we will need help with hotel stays, rental cars, flights, and aftercare. My sister Grace will be there for the first leg of the trip, and my husband Keith will be able to come for the second leg of the trip. I would need a caregiver with me at all times, especially for the plane ride home.

Unfortunately, the hospital housing is only available on a first-come, first-served basis. Without the knowledge of when people will be getting discharged, I was put on a waitlist and will not know if we have a place to stay until maybe a day before we get there.

Anything will help. I only have 24 hours of vacation time left I could use during the time I will be an outpatient. I will also have FMLA to protect my job with no pay. Short-term disability will not be able to kick in until I am checked into the hospital on Oct 1 until I am medically cleared to go back to work.

I thank God that He has put all of you in our lives. Feel free to share this post wherever you can. If you don't feel comfortable making a donation on GoFundMe, I have Cash App $LouiseNdoloHermann and FB Messenger under Louise Hermann for other ways to donate if you can. This past year, God has really shown me what He can do as long as I keep my faith in His power. I truly appreciate and love every one of you no matter what. Thank you for your time.