Help Fund my Mom's Brain Surgery

Please help fund my Mom’s brain surgery. This has been one of the most challenging years of my Mom’s life. This last year, an MRI revealed that she has a brain tumor. It is a skull based tumor called  Vestibular Schwannoma that is located on the balance and hearing nerves that connect to the brain. The tumor is pressing on her brain stem and other cranial nerves where it is leaking proteins causing an inflammatory process in the entire body. She is experiencing hearing loss in her left ear, intense fatigue, and weakness in her entire body. Several additional symptoms led her down a long diagnostic journey including numerous visits with specialists and tests resulting in an abundance of unpaid medical bills. My Mom will have a craniotomy through the middle fossa approach in order to remove the tumor and attempt to save her hearing. Her vestibular nerve will have to be removed in this process so she will need to relearn how to walk and balance. Her facial nerve, left sided facial function, and hearing in her left ear will be at risk during the surgery. However, she has carefully chosen her surgical team at The University of California, San Diego Health Medical Center as they are known for their expertise with Vestibular Schwannoma tumor removal.

Unfortunately, my parents only have a share group for health insurance because of the limits of insurance access with their job situations. The coverage is limited. My Mom is currently working on a limited part time basis without benefits. She continues to strive to contribute to her community through her work as a pediatric oncology nurse. She will be completely off work during a three month recovery period following surgery. Her surgery will be this December in San Diego, CA at UCSD. My Dad will also need to take a significant amount of time off of work without income coverage in order to travel to UCSD with my Mom and support her during the surgery and recovery.

I’m seeking to help support the current medical bills, future medical bills, loss of income for both of my parents, accommodations during surgery and recovery, and added travel costs to and from California for our family.

Thank you so much for any donations that you are able and/or willing to give.

Sincerely,

Madison and The Hening Family