
Ginny Fox: Beating The Medical Odds, Again?
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You know, or will soon know, that Ginny Fox is a passionate 'Super Star' singer, teacher, lecturer and for many of us a joyous dear friend. Now, she's fighting the medical battle of her life. With your help, Ginny - our personal Brünnhilde - will ride again!
In truth, I’ve been agonizing over how to write this GoFundMe appeal. For better or for worse, it has just not been in our family DNA to ask for help. However, Ginny has recently had a sudden, totally unprepared for series of health disasters, and the financial toll has been devastating. At this point, appealing for your help is our only option. All other personal resources have run dry. Please stick with me and let me explain.
I am not at all exaggerating when I tell you that during the past 8 weeks the Ginny Fox you have known & loved has faced a series of health challenges that I can only describe as being of ‘near-biblical’ proportions: Four serious hospital stays, in three separate hospitals, each for a different often-fatal condition.
Round One: On September 27th, two days following a pediatrist appointment, I drove Ginny to the ER with uncontrollable quaking chills & high fever. Diagnosed with ’sepsis’ and in septic shock, she began a one-week hospital stay in Phoenix battling a highly contagious staph infection - ‘MRSA’ - which was setting up shop as a horrible spreading cellulitis in the ankle and lower leg of the same foot the pediatrist had treated just days earlier. (Hmmm?)
Because of Ginny’s 2015 kidney transplant, the ongoing anti-rejection drugs have totally compromised her immune system. This lays her open to all sorts of potential infectious threats; actually, even a common ‘stye’ left untreated could be fatal. As strange as it may sound, this often-fatal bacteria, MRSA is most commonly found in [read “rampant in”] hospitals and health-related facilities. She was released and I brought her home on October 4th.
Round Two: As it turns out, this kind of ’septic shock’ is always hard on the body, but we weren’t prepared for just how hard it would be on Ginny. After being home for just three days, it was obvious that something was very wrong. Disoriented and with periodic delirium, unable to walk without constant help, and having gained over 20 pounds of water weight in just 10 days, she was admitted to our local medical center near Sedona on October 7th, this time diagnosed with heart failure. A cardiac catheter angiogram and blood work confirmed 1) a now damaged valve and left ventricle, 2) her 2012 double bypass had gone bad, and 3) sometime during the previous week or so Ginny had actually had a heart attack - an M.I., i.e., a myocardial infarction.

Round Three: Released on October 11th with new meds - and me as chief cook, bottle washer and her ever-loving ‘Nurse Ratchet’ - Ginny did her best to remain positive, determined to beat the challenges in true Brünnhilde fashion. However, she woke up at 4 AM, October 17th with more chills and a climbing 101.7° fever. Given the two hospital stays she had just gone through, we called 911 and had her rushed to our medical center’s ER. This time she was diagnosed with severe heart rate & blood pressure irregularities and another septic infection which turned out to be an E-Coli infection of her precious transplanted kidney. She was quickly transferred via ambulance to Mayo Clinic ICU, in Phoenix.
The level of care at Mayo was astoundingly good, but the mounting expense from now three nearly back-to-back hospital stays was well-beyond devastating. After a full week of cardiac stabilization and intravenous antibiotics, she was released from Mayo October 23rd. But, it wasn’t over yet.
Round Four: While at home and recovering for two weeks, on November 11th during a routine Mayo Clinic checkup on her 2017 battle with lymphoma, her pre-appointment blood test revealed a high spike in potassium levels. Worried about triggering more dangerous heart difficulties - high potassium does that - Ginny’s doctor put her back into Mayo for thirty-six hours to normalize her blood chemistry.
Frankly, here’s where you come in and anyone else you could possibly forward this to. Even with health insurance, Ginny’s and my hospital & homecare bills now amount to over $46,000.00. Home equity and savings have vanished and Social Security barely helps with necessities. To whatever degree you are able, please help us get over the hump and back on our feet through this GoFundMe appeal.
Yes, we continue doing all we can to bring world-class performing arts to Sedona and northern Arizona by creating Sedona Conservatory. But, as much as ongoing patronage is required for that major project, it is your personal direct assistance now that will allow Ginny and I to recover and get back to work giving our all for the arts, just as we always have.
We love you, wish you the very best, and deeply appreciate any assistance you can share. Thank you so much.
Russ & Ginny Fox

In truth, I’ve been agonizing over how to write this GoFundMe appeal. For better or for worse, it has just not been in our family DNA to ask for help. However, Ginny has recently had a sudden, totally unprepared for series of health disasters, and the financial toll has been devastating. At this point, appealing for your help is our only option. All other personal resources have run dry. Please stick with me and let me explain.
I am not at all exaggerating when I tell you that during the past 8 weeks the Ginny Fox you have known & loved has faced a series of health challenges that I can only describe as being of ‘near-biblical’ proportions: Four serious hospital stays, in three separate hospitals, each for a different often-fatal condition.
Round One: On September 27th, two days following a pediatrist appointment, I drove Ginny to the ER with uncontrollable quaking chills & high fever. Diagnosed with ’sepsis’ and in septic shock, she began a one-week hospital stay in Phoenix battling a highly contagious staph infection - ‘MRSA’ - which was setting up shop as a horrible spreading cellulitis in the ankle and lower leg of the same foot the pediatrist had treated just days earlier. (Hmmm?)
Because of Ginny’s 2015 kidney transplant, the ongoing anti-rejection drugs have totally compromised her immune system. This lays her open to all sorts of potential infectious threats; actually, even a common ‘stye’ left untreated could be fatal. As strange as it may sound, this often-fatal bacteria, MRSA is most commonly found in [read “rampant in”] hospitals and health-related facilities. She was released and I brought her home on October 4th.
Round Two: As it turns out, this kind of ’septic shock’ is always hard on the body, but we weren’t prepared for just how hard it would be on Ginny. After being home for just three days, it was obvious that something was very wrong. Disoriented and with periodic delirium, unable to walk without constant help, and having gained over 20 pounds of water weight in just 10 days, she was admitted to our local medical center near Sedona on October 7th, this time diagnosed with heart failure. A cardiac catheter angiogram and blood work confirmed 1) a now damaged valve and left ventricle, 2) her 2012 double bypass had gone bad, and 3) sometime during the previous week or so Ginny had actually had a heart attack - an M.I., i.e., a myocardial infarction.

Round Three: Released on October 11th with new meds - and me as chief cook, bottle washer and her ever-loving ‘Nurse Ratchet’ - Ginny did her best to remain positive, determined to beat the challenges in true Brünnhilde fashion. However, she woke up at 4 AM, October 17th with more chills and a climbing 101.7° fever. Given the two hospital stays she had just gone through, we called 911 and had her rushed to our medical center’s ER. This time she was diagnosed with severe heart rate & blood pressure irregularities and another septic infection which turned out to be an E-Coli infection of her precious transplanted kidney. She was quickly transferred via ambulance to Mayo Clinic ICU, in Phoenix.
The level of care at Mayo was astoundingly good, but the mounting expense from now three nearly back-to-back hospital stays was well-beyond devastating. After a full week of cardiac stabilization and intravenous antibiotics, she was released from Mayo October 23rd. But, it wasn’t over yet.
Round Four: While at home and recovering for two weeks, on November 11th during a routine Mayo Clinic checkup on her 2017 battle with lymphoma, her pre-appointment blood test revealed a high spike in potassium levels. Worried about triggering more dangerous heart difficulties - high potassium does that - Ginny’s doctor put her back into Mayo for thirty-six hours to normalize her blood chemistry.
Frankly, here’s where you come in and anyone else you could possibly forward this to. Even with health insurance, Ginny’s and my hospital & homecare bills now amount to over $46,000.00. Home equity and savings have vanished and Social Security barely helps with necessities. To whatever degree you are able, please help us get over the hump and back on our feet through this GoFundMe appeal.
Yes, we continue doing all we can to bring world-class performing arts to Sedona and northern Arizona by creating Sedona Conservatory. But, as much as ongoing patronage is required for that major project, it is your personal direct assistance now that will allow Ginny and I to recover and get back to work giving our all for the arts, just as we always have.
We love you, wish you the very best, and deeply appreciate any assistance you can share. Thank you so much.
Russ & Ginny Fox

Organizer
Russell Fox
Organizer
Sedona, AZ