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Erin's journey began roughly 18 months ago. Erin had been going to St. Peter's Hospital for MONTHS with the same "twisting like a fork stabbing feeling" inside her tummy, with that type of pain every time. She would go in and a CERTAIN E.R. DR. would give her pain meds, and treat her like she was crazy, and a junkie, making her feel completely judged and sent her home. After talking to many other patients, this is not the first time someone had been treated this way from THIS Dr.. Not to mention, let us inform you on a detail you might want to know the last time she went in to the ER and again, (THE SAME DR.) asked her, "So, you’re in here for your pain meds again?" She was so heart broken, and started to think... "maybe... she was crazy." ... A couple weeks later, On December 14th 2013, we were about to leave for Bozeman, MT to see a "White Christmas" play (her favorite) 2 days after her 26th Birthday. Erin had that pain once again.. this time way worse. So we went back to St Peters at 24 weeks pregnant. She was sent start to the OB floor bypassing the ER. She was there for 24 hours before she was medivacked out of Helena to Great Falls, MT. ONLY because of the "high risk pregnancy." Where they had the best OB doc in the state. She went into emergency surgery lasting 5 hours, I had NEVER seen anyone, let alone a team of doctors and nurses rush and run SO FAST to get her in to that operating room. During surgery, they pulled out her intestines and they were COMPLETELY BLACK..DEAD. She should not have been alive at that time. Then God worked one of his MANY miracles, and they started to pinkening up while the team of Doctors we’re holding them in their hands. The Doctors said "they had NEVER heard, nor seen that... and had NO explanation.. but we did!! ;) The Doctors said that "she was THE SICKEST person in that hospital.. (ICU)." Her Intestines had herniated, killing 2/3 of her small intestines. I can say, that was probably the scariest time I had and that the next 24 hours were critical, touch and go.
On Dec. 17th Erin went into labor and delivered our youngest (4th) child, 2nd daughter, Kelbi, who did not make it, and is now our Angel Baby. If Erin wasn’t pregnant we would not have her today. Kelbi is the greatest, hardest loss for our family, as they had had a miscarriage earlier that year.
On Dec 18th just as I had got home and walked through the door to see the kids I got the call NO husband wants to hear..."She is being rushed back into surgery” it was about 11 PM. I picked up my dad and drove the LONGEST hour back to Great Falls with the unknown condition of my wife.
I had been told by doctors 3 separate times to call family up to say their goodbyes. One of the last times we had to make the choice to fly her to Seattle again to save her life or give her medication and make her comfortable as possible until time ran out, I actually had a DR. pull me aside and tell me "you had better bring Erin's mom or someone close, because you’re probably going to be bringing her home in a box..." Thankfully, that surgeon went on vacation and before leaving said that. At that time she had Staph in her blood, MRSA and while having a UTI/Other blood infections. At that point it was touch and go NOT ONE HOSPITAL in the United States would take her in. The only way to save her life was to drive to The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota walk in to their ER and hand them the 1,000 page stack of medical info they would need because if she were to admit herself they "couldn't turn her down"... but there was another doc on call that knew of some politics that MT gives The U OF W a crazy amount of money, with the understanding that they HAVE to accept anyone. Dr, Parr saved my wives life.
Altogether, she spent 12 out of the last 18 months in hospitals from St. Peters in Helena, Virginia Mason in Seattle and The University of Washington and Benefis Hospital in Great Falls MT.
She’s had to endure countless procedures, strictures in her small bowel, 6 fistulas (leaks in small bowel) and 6 MAJOR Surgeries 2 in Great Falls the rest at The University of Washington. All surgeries lasted from shortest 5 hours to longest about 10 hours. The last surgery was an emergency and she was flown to Seattle for the 4th time and had to have a 9 hour surgery to fix a incisional hernia, remove MORE damaged small bowel, and yet another fistula and found out she had a baseball sized ovarian cyst they had to be removed as well. This Surgery was in May 2015 and a week after being home she had to endure another 3 weeks in St. Peters for another bowel obstruction, where she underwent an ERCP and aspirated causing her to have pneumonia.
Erin was also on TPN, which is nutrients through IV for a total of 34 weeks, at $9,000.00 per WEEK. $60,000.00 + IN MEDIVACK FLIGHTS that insurance only covered a portion of. SO we have a long road ahead of us. Erin and I have been married for 9 years this June and are high school sweethearts. We met when she was 15 and I was 16. We have been through so much more than most, it has challenged our marriage, it’s been hard, and we've shared many tears, many heartbreaks, but with our Lord as our 3rd cord in the braid of Marriage and life we are resilient! We believe that. He has used this life changing tragedy to do more good in Erin's eyes than we will ever see. She is Strong, and We are proud of her. We have 4 beautiful children, one being an angel baby Kelbi. Kaiden, 9 Tatum, 8 and Carter ,6. This has been extremely hard on our WHOLE family and especially the kids. But it has shown them what family REALLY means. Family is not just blood relatives. We have had support from community in Helena and all across the states. We have been on prayer chains from Helena 1st Assembly all the way to missions in AFRICA. FOR EVERYTHING YOU "FAMILY" HAVE done for our family we say THANK YOU. FROM THE VERY DEPTHS OF OUR SOULS.
As some of you know, we have.... quite a lot in medical debt and anything helps right now. Even 1cent! If you cannot support us financially Please PLEASE, Lift us up in prayer. We need so much of it right now as possible. With trying to keep life as "normal" as we possibly can for the kids, they have been very understanding, and patient. We are trying our best to put them and their needs ABSOLUTELY FIRST and will fight to keep that a priority.
Thank you from the very bottom of our hearts.
Erin's Updates
On Dec. 17th Erin went into labor and delivered our youngest (4th) child, 2nd daughter, Kelbi, who did not make it, and is now our Angel Baby. If Erin wasn’t pregnant we would not have her today. Kelbi is the greatest, hardest loss for our family, as they had had a miscarriage earlier that year.
On Dec 18th just as I had got home and walked through the door to see the kids I got the call NO husband wants to hear..."She is being rushed back into surgery” it was about 11 PM. I picked up my dad and drove the LONGEST hour back to Great Falls with the unknown condition of my wife.
I had been told by doctors 3 separate times to call family up to say their goodbyes. One of the last times we had to make the choice to fly her to Seattle again to save her life or give her medication and make her comfortable as possible until time ran out, I actually had a DR. pull me aside and tell me "you had better bring Erin's mom or someone close, because you’re probably going to be bringing her home in a box..." Thankfully, that surgeon went on vacation and before leaving said that. At that time she had Staph in her blood, MRSA and while having a UTI/Other blood infections. At that point it was touch and go NOT ONE HOSPITAL in the United States would take her in. The only way to save her life was to drive to The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota walk in to their ER and hand them the 1,000 page stack of medical info they would need because if she were to admit herself they "couldn't turn her down"... but there was another doc on call that knew of some politics that MT gives The U OF W a crazy amount of money, with the understanding that they HAVE to accept anyone. Dr, Parr saved my wives life.
Altogether, she spent 12 out of the last 18 months in hospitals from St. Peters in Helena, Virginia Mason in Seattle and The University of Washington and Benefis Hospital in Great Falls MT.
She’s had to endure countless procedures, strictures in her small bowel, 6 fistulas (leaks in small bowel) and 6 MAJOR Surgeries 2 in Great Falls the rest at The University of Washington. All surgeries lasted from shortest 5 hours to longest about 10 hours. The last surgery was an emergency and she was flown to Seattle for the 4th time and had to have a 9 hour surgery to fix a incisional hernia, remove MORE damaged small bowel, and yet another fistula and found out she had a baseball sized ovarian cyst they had to be removed as well. This Surgery was in May 2015 and a week after being home she had to endure another 3 weeks in St. Peters for another bowel obstruction, where she underwent an ERCP and aspirated causing her to have pneumonia.
Erin was also on TPN, which is nutrients through IV for a total of 34 weeks, at $9,000.00 per WEEK. $60,000.00 + IN MEDIVACK FLIGHTS that insurance only covered a portion of. SO we have a long road ahead of us. Erin and I have been married for 9 years this June and are high school sweethearts. We met when she was 15 and I was 16. We have been through so much more than most, it has challenged our marriage, it’s been hard, and we've shared many tears, many heartbreaks, but with our Lord as our 3rd cord in the braid of Marriage and life we are resilient! We believe that. He has used this life changing tragedy to do more good in Erin's eyes than we will ever see. She is Strong, and We are proud of her. We have 4 beautiful children, one being an angel baby Kelbi. Kaiden, 9 Tatum, 8 and Carter ,6. This has been extremely hard on our WHOLE family and especially the kids. But it has shown them what family REALLY means. Family is not just blood relatives. We have had support from community in Helena and all across the states. We have been on prayer chains from Helena 1st Assembly all the way to missions in AFRICA. FOR EVERYTHING YOU "FAMILY" HAVE done for our family we say THANK YOU. FROM THE VERY DEPTHS OF OUR SOULS.
As some of you know, we have.... quite a lot in medical debt and anything helps right now. Even 1cent! If you cannot support us financially Please PLEASE, Lift us up in prayer. We need so much of it right now as possible. With trying to keep life as "normal" as we possibly can for the kids, they have been very understanding, and patient. We are trying our best to put them and their needs ABSOLUTELY FIRST and will fight to keep that a priority.
Thank you from the very bottom of our hearts.
Erin's Updates
Organizer
Erin Stebbins-Clement
Organizer
Helena, MT