Come together for Stephanie McUmar

Hello, my name is Diana DeCollo and I am asking you, to come together, to help her secure funds for living expenses while recovering from Necrotizing fasciitis commonly know as a flesh-eating disease. Will you help?

Recently, I saw a post on FB from a beloved teacher who taught at the high school I attended back in 1987. He is a pillar in his community, an active member of his church, a loving husband, and a proud father of his son and daughter. The post was written to inform us that his daughter would be in the hospital for her birthday, and he requested that we all send her a birthday card to brighten her spirits. Happily we did that, and she received over 250 cards.

Here is the full story about his daughter. Stephanie Lynn McUmar is a lifelong resident of Weirton, WV. She attended Weir High School and graduated in 1993. In school, she was a cheerleader, an honor student, and a member of various clubs. After working a few jobs, she decided to return to college and was graduated from WVU in 2010 with a BS degree in political science. Today she loves reading magazines, doing art projects, and watching old movies.

As her father provided updates on Stephanie’s condition, it became readily apparent that she was undergoing one nightmare after another. In January of this year, she was life flighted to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA where she was considered septic and diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as “flesh-eating disease.” Due to this life-threatening disease, Stephanie spent 10 days on a ventilator in the intensive care unit and underwent 15 surgeries for debridement of gangrenous tissue. This left her with major wounds on her body, and her recovery would take months.

Every time I read a new post, I would be in awe as her father listed all that she was facing. Some of those problems included the following: over 100 days in the hospital, unable to walk, skin grafts, diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes requiring insulin injections, a catheter, an ostomy bag, needing occupational and physical therapy, visits from a home health nurse, and much more. When he informed us that her doctor dropped her as a patient without any notice, we were appalled that he would leave her in such a vulnerable state. She didn’t have a hospital bed, a walker, or a wheelchair, all of which were to have been provided upon her discharge from the hospital. It was impossible for her to be transported to a doctor appointment without the proper equipment. Each time I read a new post, my heart would break a little more.

The stress of this life-altering bacterial infection has left Stephanie unable to work and depressed. However, with God’s help and support of family and friends, she is managing to keep her spirits as high as possible. Stephanie does have health insurance, and most of her bills are being covered by her provider. However, she still has financial obligations that she has not been able to meet. It is hard to determine when she will be able to work again to resume making payments on her bills. Her complete recovery will be a long and difficult process, and this means that her bills will be accruing daily. I do not want that stress to interfere with her recovery.

I will be celebrating a birthday soon, and I have seen people raising money on FB for different organizations for their birthdays. So I decided that raising money for Stephanie would be a worthwhile cause, and she is certainly well-deserving. Any amount, whether small or large, will be appreciated. If you cannot donate, please take the time to share this with your friends and families. Mr. McUmar has been a devoted teacher who has touched many lives, and I feel this would be a way to give back for all that he has done to help others.

Thank you for your support.