I am desperately trying to raise money needed for my sister, Teresa (Terry) Trail Cook, to have major surgery to repair/rebuild her esophagus which was damaged as a result of a previous surgery. She has recently been advised that she will not survive long if this surgery is not performed in the near future, as she is literally starving to death.

During the past few months, it has been necessary for her to travel to Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah from her home in Idaho repeatedly to see various specialists and have advanced tests done to determine her path forward. As her health continues to decline, it has been necessary for her to go more often. The 480 miles round trip from her home to SLC requires that she stay in a hotel in SLC for multiple days each time. Medical expenses combined with travel expenses have completely exhausted her financial resources.

In addition, she will not be able to survive the necessary surgery in her current condition as she is suffering from severe malnutrition resulting from the damage to her esophagus and weighs only 87 lbs. She must first undergo IV nutrition infusions, then a feeding tube must be put in and its effectiveness monitored for weeks prior to the surgery target date of mid to late August, incurring even more expenses. The surgery itself will require a minimum two week hospital stay followed by one year of intensive recovery.