Double Shoulder Replacement Aid
Spende geschützt
Hello friends, family, loved ones and welcome strangers! My name is Catalina and I am a Ewing Sarcoma, Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplant survivor! I am 27 and living my independent life on wheels in my dream city of roses, Portland.
Through the years of treatments and complications I have developed a condition called Avascular Necrosis(AVN), which is the death of bone due to a lack of blood supply. I have had several joint replacements due to AVN and I am about to embark on a whole new joint replacement journey to have both of my shoulders replaced.
On Sunday night my dad and I packed up the car with all of Tobi's (my kitty) things and drove through the night all the way to Utah. We got to Park City yesterday morning at around 7:30AM and I went straight to do my Covid test. After that I went to Huntsman Cancer Institute for my pre-op appointment and had blood drawn to make sure they have blood on hand in case I need a transfusion during surgery. I am going to be on FMLA for work and I am going to apply for short term disability to hopefully be able to keep my lovely apartment in the pacific north west during the next three months. Having my home away from home is essential to my mental health and knowing that I have at least some semblance of normalcy waiting for me in Oregon is what is getting me through this. Although I am hopefully going to have at least a percentage of my income, it is going to be really tight and I know that I need to be asking for help. Learning how to ask for help is a journey that I am still on every day. It's definitely not easy and I especially dislike asking for help financially. I pride myself in building my independence and taking care of myself fully. I have created a life for myself despite all of my setbacks in my health throughout my life. It definitely hasn't been easy and so many of you have helped me along the way.
One major hurdle I am dealing with is phasing out of insurance. I was granted a one year extension on my parents' insurance when I turned 26 and unfortunately that extension ends on the last day of this month (August). When I we decided to go ahead and deal with with surgeries, because the chronic pain has become almost unbearable, we didn't realize what a time crunch we were on. I have insurance through work but Huntsman and my doctor are not in network. Due to the absolute lack of time we have on this coverage, I will be squeezing in two shoulder replacements within a 2 week time period. Usually there should be a least a couple months between each surgery but unfortunately we do not have the luxury of time. I will be needing extensive care and physical therapy after the operations. Any medical treatment or help that I may need after the 31st of August will be out of pocket.
I do recognize that most people in the world are experiencing hardship through the pandemic and that this is a difficult time financially for you as well. Please know that everything helps and that I am so grateful for you all beyond measure. To my friends and co-workers in Portland I already miss you so much! To my friends and family in Utah I cannot wait to connect with you here (safely) and to the friends and family all of over mother earth. I feel you with me and I appreciate you love and healing vibes from wherever you may be.
Through the years of treatments and complications I have developed a condition called Avascular Necrosis(AVN), which is the death of bone due to a lack of blood supply. I have had several joint replacements due to AVN and I am about to embark on a whole new joint replacement journey to have both of my shoulders replaced.
On Sunday night my dad and I packed up the car with all of Tobi's (my kitty) things and drove through the night all the way to Utah. We got to Park City yesterday morning at around 7:30AM and I went straight to do my Covid test. After that I went to Huntsman Cancer Institute for my pre-op appointment and had blood drawn to make sure they have blood on hand in case I need a transfusion during surgery. I am going to be on FMLA for work and I am going to apply for short term disability to hopefully be able to keep my lovely apartment in the pacific north west during the next three months. Having my home away from home is essential to my mental health and knowing that I have at least some semblance of normalcy waiting for me in Oregon is what is getting me through this. Although I am hopefully going to have at least a percentage of my income, it is going to be really tight and I know that I need to be asking for help. Learning how to ask for help is a journey that I am still on every day. It's definitely not easy and I especially dislike asking for help financially. I pride myself in building my independence and taking care of myself fully. I have created a life for myself despite all of my setbacks in my health throughout my life. It definitely hasn't been easy and so many of you have helped me along the way.
One major hurdle I am dealing with is phasing out of insurance. I was granted a one year extension on my parents' insurance when I turned 26 and unfortunately that extension ends on the last day of this month (August). When I we decided to go ahead and deal with with surgeries, because the chronic pain has become almost unbearable, we didn't realize what a time crunch we were on. I have insurance through work but Huntsman and my doctor are not in network. Due to the absolute lack of time we have on this coverage, I will be squeezing in two shoulder replacements within a 2 week time period. Usually there should be a least a couple months between each surgery but unfortunately we do not have the luxury of time. I will be needing extensive care and physical therapy after the operations. Any medical treatment or help that I may need after the 31st of August will be out of pocket.
I do recognize that most people in the world are experiencing hardship through the pandemic and that this is a difficult time financially for you as well. Please know that everything helps and that I am so grateful for you all beyond measure. To my friends and co-workers in Portland I already miss you so much! To my friends and family in Utah I cannot wait to connect with you here (safely) and to the friends and family all of over mother earth. I feel you with me and I appreciate you love and healing vibes from wherever you may be.
Organisator
Catalina Eleonora Ritzinger
Organisator
Portland, OR