We are reaching out today with exhausted but hopeful spirits to ask for your support after an unexpected and terrifying medical journey.

What started as an annual trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for our parents, Barb and Dale, quickly turned into a life-altering nightmare for our mom. What we initially hoped was just a severe case of food poisoning was actually much more critical. Over decades of previous surgeries, weakened areas had formed throughout Mom’s digestive system. Under the physical stress of severe vomiting, those areas gave way, leading to multiple internal tears and life-threatening abdominal sepsis.

Mom underwent four major surgeries in just 17 days while in Mexico. Before the third operation, the surgical team told Dale to call our family and prepare for the worst. They gave her only a 30% chance of surviving. We’ve always known Mom to be incredibly stubborn, but we have never been more grateful for that "stubborn" spirit. Against the odds, she fought her way through.

Once she was stable enough for transport, Mom was flown back to Wisconsin. While we initially sought care in Green Bay, her case was so advanced that she was referred to specialists at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. She is currently admitted there, and the road ahead remains long.

Because of the internal damage, Mom currently cannot have anything by mouth—not food, water, or even her essential medications. If she were to swallow anything, it would leak directly into her abdominal cavity and cause further infection. Doctors are working to stabilize her enough to place a gastric stent, which would allow her to finally, at a bare minimum, take her medications by mouth. However, she will still require tubes for nutrition and multiple drains for a long time. The major reconstructive surgery she needs to truly repair the damage cannot happen for at least another year to allow her body time to heal and be strong enough to survive another surgery.

Why We Are Asking for Your Help We are hoping to raise $40,000 to help manage the overwhelming financial burden of this emergency. While they are working through the insurance reimbursement process, many of these costs had to be covered immediately, and many others simply won't be covered at all:

International Medical Costs: The four surgeries, diagnostic testing, and ambulance transport in Mexico totaled approximately $50,000, all of which had to be paid out-of-pocket, up-front.

Specialized Transport & Deductibles: Emergency transport from Green Bay to Milwaukee and the extended stay at Froedtert come with significant out-of-pocket insurance costs and high deductibles.

Recovery Logistics: While we are grateful that Dale has lodging in Milwaukee during her stay at Froedert, the daily costs of gas for travel (with these costs rising every day), pet sitting, and specialized home-care equipment for a spouse hospitalized far from home continue to mount.

This has been a chaotic and terrifying experience. Facing a medical emergency is frightening anywhere, but it was especially overwhelming making life-or-death decisions in a language they didn’t speak. We are doing our best to take things one day at a time, simply appreciative that Mom is still here with us.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for any support you can offer, whether it is a donation, a prayer, or sharing this page. Every bit of kindness helps us focus on what matters most: getting Mom back to her fancy new purple walker and her long journey home.