Donate for Christy's Urgent Medical Needs

Our story has been a two-year battle with a severe infection, multiple surgical procedures tying to save my wife Christy Hignite. In those two years met with five different surgeons until we found one who would take my wife’s case. Doctor Stubbs with the Stubbs Surgery Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas fought hard to save my wife. Due because of the length of time it took to get the infection under control, the infection had caused too much damage to her skin and muscle.

Christy was forced to undergo a full mastectomy. After a few months of healing and multiple rounds of antibiotics; the doctor began the process of reconstruction to her damaged breast and tissues. He placed an expander to make a new breast pocket and had to graft a piece of mesh to the lower side of her breast to reinforce the skin. Her skin was so thin he was afraid the expander would tear through the skin as he created the new pocket.

At first her healing seemed to be going well but she was having a lot of pain in the area of the surgical site. We didn’t think anything of it because we thought this was just part of the healing process and was sore from being cut open. But as things went along her surgical site kept breaking open. Dr. Stubbs had to take her back to the surgical suite three different times over the next few weeks to cut out large patches of her thin skin in an attempt to bring thicker and healthy skin together. All of this was to no avail. Over the weekend Christy felt pain and some wetness in her shirt. She took her bandages off and had found that the bottom of her breast had opened up and the expander was exposed.

Dr. Stubbs scheduled her for emergency surgery that following Monday morning. He went in and found that her body had rejected the mesh he had placed and the new tissue had died. He was forced to pull the expander and clean out the mesh and all the infection. After cleaning out her body of all the foreign material and equipment, Dr Stubbs closed her up. He came out and sadly told me there was nothing more he could do for now. He said Christy will have to heal for at least six months but expects it to be over a year. He said we could talk about reconstruction at that point but not any sooner than that.

This past week, Christy went in for her follow up appointment to see what our options were at this point. Dr. Stubbs went through all the complications and what to expect for the future. He said at this point because of all the damage done to her body, her only option was an expensive DIEP flap surgical procedure. DIEP is short for Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator surgery. This is a microsurgical procedure that removes a flap of skin, fat, and blood vessels from the lower abdomen and transfers it to the chest area. The surgeon then reconnects the blood vessels to the chest wall creating a new breast pocket. This is a surgery that Dr. Stubbs is unable to preform and would have to refer us to a doctor who specializes in DIEP.

This road has been hard and very expensive. Actually, more that our budget could afford. We have found ourselves in a financial bind from all the procedures she has undergone. Our medical insurance has refused to help us pay for any of these procedures because the root cause wasn’t cancer, they won’t step in to pay for any of it. If she had a cancer diagnosis, it would fall under their periodicals and would have paid 100% for the surgery and reconstruction. But since this was an infection of unknown origin, they will not pay.

We are desperately reaching out to everyone to plead for help. We desperately need to save our home and to get this DIEP procedure done. Christy has been less than herself and feels very defeated. We have already paid over 10,000 dollars up to this point only to be told it was all for not. These last two years have been the hardest experience that either of us have ever been through.

First we want to give glory to God and all the praise He deserves. Even in these dark trials He still remains by our side and is faithful to Christy, me, and our entire family. Thank you all for your support and prayers.