"Help Our Debi Bounce Back!"
Donation protected
JOIN OUR EFFORTS TO GET DEBI BACK ON HER FEET!
In case you don't know what's happening, the whole story is below. Our Debi had to have life-threatening emergency surgery and was in the hospital for 19 days! While in the hospital, her doctors discovered that she has 4 OTHER VERY SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUES she will have to face once she recovers from this surgery! She is obviously scared but very brave and ridiculously happy to be alive.
Debi needs our help! As you might imagine, 1 emergency surgery and 19 day hospital stay isn't cheap ($200,000+ YIKES!). 4 more serious health issues would break anybody's bank! She didn't want to ask for money but I know she has a huge support group out there, all over the country and I wanted to start this campaign to help her in any way we could. She is already overwhelmed by the outpouring of care, good wishes and support and feels so lucky to have such great humans in her life. I'm hoping we can overwhelm her with some moolah too. Whatever you can do will help Debi so much. Thank you all in advance for your care for our dear and wonderful friend, Debi Mongan.
____________________________________
As far back as May, Debi didn't feel well but couldn't identify exactly what it was. Near the end of June, she started to experience horrible abdominal pain. In the following seven weeks, Debi went to the ER twice and CT scans confirmed that she had diverticulitis. Both times she was sent home with a new antibiotic and was told she'd feel better in 3 or 4 days. She never started feeling better, only worse and at the beginning of week eight she went to the ER for the third time! A new CT scan revealed that the diverticulitis had gotten far worse, even after 5 different antibiotics. When admitted to the hospital, Debi was in so much excruciating pain that morphine did not even touch it! The surgeons did everything possible to avoid an emergency colon resection, but after 11 antibiotics and 2 attempts at putting in a drain, there was no choice but to perform surgery and remove the diseased section of colon. This risky and terrifying surgery saved Debi's life (YAY!) but not without complications including life changing adjustments she has to learn to live with (and pay for!) forever. Debi has at least 6-8 weeks of painful recovery from this surgery before she faces her next medical mountain she must climb.
In addition to diverticulitis, when the first CT scan was done in the ER, they discovered at least four other serious medical conditions that will need to be investigated and treated after she heals from this surgery. At this point, Debi holds the thought that none of those issues will be as serious and appreciates everyone else putting the same intention to it. Another serious medical event right away is entirely too ominous for her to consider.
The day she was discharged from the hospital, administration came to her room and Debi found out that the total bill for her 19 day stay was well over $200,000. Her insurance policy covered a good portion of the total, but the amount is so large that it still leaves Debi with a giant bill. She was able to make a small deposit but the remaining balance is massively daunting for her and seems impossible to pay at this point. (She is not even taking future medical expenses into account, that she is sure to incur. One thing at a time, right now, but we know these future costs are inevitable.)
From the beginning, in June, Debi was unable to work. At this point, 10 weeks in and at least 6 more ahead, the consulting business she built over the last two years is essentially defunct and will have to be rebuilt completely. Her laptop has been hanging by a thread for some time and in the middle of this ordeal it went ahead and decided to roll over and die. (The hits just keep on coming! At least it was just the laptop!) Making a living is going to be a challenge in more ways than one, but she will do what ever she needs to get back on track. She is still the amazing, resilient Debi we all know and love!
Debi's family has been very supportive, some flying across the country to help take care of her and curtail the expense of home care while she recovers. Nearly all of her own resources are depleted and it is going to take some time to revive the income stream. While her family is not going to let her go with out food and necessities, they have already taken on great expense financially and with their time. The toll it has taken thus far can't even be calculated.
Debi needs help trying to get through until the end of the year when she feels confident that she can pick up the pieces and get back on track.
I'm so grateful Debi made it through this long and painful ordeal, but I'm also scared and worried about the huge mountain she still has ahead of her. I hope this campaign will lighten the load and ease the burdens to come. Thank you all, so much, for any help you can provide. With so much love for Debi and from Debi, let's join together and do our best to help our beautiful friend!
In case you don't know what's happening, the whole story is below. Our Debi had to have life-threatening emergency surgery and was in the hospital for 19 days! While in the hospital, her doctors discovered that she has 4 OTHER VERY SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUES she will have to face once she recovers from this surgery! She is obviously scared but very brave and ridiculously happy to be alive.
Debi needs our help! As you might imagine, 1 emergency surgery and 19 day hospital stay isn't cheap ($200,000+ YIKES!). 4 more serious health issues would break anybody's bank! She didn't want to ask for money but I know she has a huge support group out there, all over the country and I wanted to start this campaign to help her in any way we could. She is already overwhelmed by the outpouring of care, good wishes and support and feels so lucky to have such great humans in her life. I'm hoping we can overwhelm her with some moolah too. Whatever you can do will help Debi so much. Thank you all in advance for your care for our dear and wonderful friend, Debi Mongan.
____________________________________
As far back as May, Debi didn't feel well but couldn't identify exactly what it was. Near the end of June, she started to experience horrible abdominal pain. In the following seven weeks, Debi went to the ER twice and CT scans confirmed that she had diverticulitis. Both times she was sent home with a new antibiotic and was told she'd feel better in 3 or 4 days. She never started feeling better, only worse and at the beginning of week eight she went to the ER for the third time! A new CT scan revealed that the diverticulitis had gotten far worse, even after 5 different antibiotics. When admitted to the hospital, Debi was in so much excruciating pain that morphine did not even touch it! The surgeons did everything possible to avoid an emergency colon resection, but after 11 antibiotics and 2 attempts at putting in a drain, there was no choice but to perform surgery and remove the diseased section of colon. This risky and terrifying surgery saved Debi's life (YAY!) but not without complications including life changing adjustments she has to learn to live with (and pay for!) forever. Debi has at least 6-8 weeks of painful recovery from this surgery before she faces her next medical mountain she must climb.
In addition to diverticulitis, when the first CT scan was done in the ER, they discovered at least four other serious medical conditions that will need to be investigated and treated after she heals from this surgery. At this point, Debi holds the thought that none of those issues will be as serious and appreciates everyone else putting the same intention to it. Another serious medical event right away is entirely too ominous for her to consider.
The day she was discharged from the hospital, administration came to her room and Debi found out that the total bill for her 19 day stay was well over $200,000. Her insurance policy covered a good portion of the total, but the amount is so large that it still leaves Debi with a giant bill. She was able to make a small deposit but the remaining balance is massively daunting for her and seems impossible to pay at this point. (She is not even taking future medical expenses into account, that she is sure to incur. One thing at a time, right now, but we know these future costs are inevitable.)
From the beginning, in June, Debi was unable to work. At this point, 10 weeks in and at least 6 more ahead, the consulting business she built over the last two years is essentially defunct and will have to be rebuilt completely. Her laptop has been hanging by a thread for some time and in the middle of this ordeal it went ahead and decided to roll over and die. (The hits just keep on coming! At least it was just the laptop!) Making a living is going to be a challenge in more ways than one, but she will do what ever she needs to get back on track. She is still the amazing, resilient Debi we all know and love!
Debi's family has been very supportive, some flying across the country to help take care of her and curtail the expense of home care while she recovers. Nearly all of her own resources are depleted and it is going to take some time to revive the income stream. While her family is not going to let her go with out food and necessities, they have already taken on great expense financially and with their time. The toll it has taken thus far can't even be calculated.
Debi needs help trying to get through until the end of the year when she feels confident that she can pick up the pieces and get back on track.
I'm so grateful Debi made it through this long and painful ordeal, but I'm also scared and worried about the huge mountain she still has ahead of her. I hope this campaign will lighten the load and ease the burdens to come. Thank you all, so much, for any help you can provide. With so much love for Debi and from Debi, let's join together and do our best to help our beautiful friend!
Organizer and beneficiary
Christa Wight Gerard
Organizer
San Francisco, CA
Debra Mongan
Beneficiary
