Healing Rachiel Stewart
Donation protected
As an emergency room nurse for 25 years, Rachiel Stewart has patched up many people in our region in their time of greatest need. Her face may be familiar to nearly anyone who has been to our local hospital. Today, Rachiel needs our support in order to get the surgery she needs in order to continue working.
On June 4th of 2015, Rachiel was struck by a drunk driver while she was on her way home from a 12 hour shift at the emergency room. The intoxicated driver of a large blue pickup truck missed a curve on Highway 62, and went straight into the driver side door of her car. Rachiel was stopped at a stop sign when it happened. It was what people refer to a T-Bone collision. Her car was totalled. The pickup attempted to leave, but broke down a few blocks away from the damage.
As the truck struck, and her door caved in, Rachiel raised her arm defensively. Her left forearm and hand went numb immediately, as muscles and nerves tore in her shoulder, caused searing pain. The truck also crushed the door into her hip, rupturing the psoas muscle, which connects the lower back to the hip. She described it as the worst pain she has ever experienced. It was nearly a month before doctors fully identified the extent of her injuries.
She lost use of her left arm, could not grasp or feel anything with her left hand, and was unable to move her left leg forward and so walked with a cane, dragging it. With nearly 5 months of physical therapy, she was able to regain some function of the left arm and leg, athough both continue to function slowly and incompletely. She walks with a limp now, and can leave the cane behind on good days.
Because Rachiel has transferred to the hospital from a nearby one, in Branson, just 7 months before the accident, she did not yet qualify for a medical leave of absence. She lost her full time position and all of her health insurance. She was injured and facing a mountain of medical bills. The drunk driver had minimal insurance, which covered a portion of the medical bills, and didn't help at all with lost income.
Rachiel returned to work as quickly as humanly possible, in order to regain her medical insurance and income, but walked with difficulty and struggled to use her arm and hand. 12 to 14 hour shifts brought gasping pain from a still torn rotator cuff and slowly healing ruptured psoas muscle.
Patients did not see the pain, and to many, she is a hero.
Rachiel continues to struggle with debts accrued at the time of the accident, but has been working for the last two years towards qualifying for the medical leave necessary to have her shoulder reconstructed.
Without this surgery to repair her shoulder, Rachiel will not be able to keep her job as a nurse.
The surgery to repair her shoulder will cost $5,000 up front, and the total out of pocket expense are expected to be over $15,000.
There will be physical therapy and other miscellaneous costs from the surgery, as well as lost wages for several months, as she will not be allowed to lift any weight at all during healing. Because of the debts accumulated since the injury, Rachiel has no money beyond her paycheck. The goal for this gofundme campaign has been set at $9000. If we can gather this amount, she can cover the up-front cost necessary to have the surgery done, and can eat and get to and from therapy for the minimum period following. She believes that she can handle the remainder of the out of pocket expenses over time, by arranging payment plans.
Any contribution that you can make to help Rachiel get this surgery will be deeply appreciated.
On June 4th of 2015, Rachiel was struck by a drunk driver while she was on her way home from a 12 hour shift at the emergency room. The intoxicated driver of a large blue pickup truck missed a curve on Highway 62, and went straight into the driver side door of her car. Rachiel was stopped at a stop sign when it happened. It was what people refer to a T-Bone collision. Her car was totalled. The pickup attempted to leave, but broke down a few blocks away from the damage.
As the truck struck, and her door caved in, Rachiel raised her arm defensively. Her left forearm and hand went numb immediately, as muscles and nerves tore in her shoulder, caused searing pain. The truck also crushed the door into her hip, rupturing the psoas muscle, which connects the lower back to the hip. She described it as the worst pain she has ever experienced. It was nearly a month before doctors fully identified the extent of her injuries.
She lost use of her left arm, could not grasp or feel anything with her left hand, and was unable to move her left leg forward and so walked with a cane, dragging it. With nearly 5 months of physical therapy, she was able to regain some function of the left arm and leg, athough both continue to function slowly and incompletely. She walks with a limp now, and can leave the cane behind on good days.
Because Rachiel has transferred to the hospital from a nearby one, in Branson, just 7 months before the accident, she did not yet qualify for a medical leave of absence. She lost her full time position and all of her health insurance. She was injured and facing a mountain of medical bills. The drunk driver had minimal insurance, which covered a portion of the medical bills, and didn't help at all with lost income.
Rachiel returned to work as quickly as humanly possible, in order to regain her medical insurance and income, but walked with difficulty and struggled to use her arm and hand. 12 to 14 hour shifts brought gasping pain from a still torn rotator cuff and slowly healing ruptured psoas muscle.
Patients did not see the pain, and to many, she is a hero.
Rachiel continues to struggle with debts accrued at the time of the accident, but has been working for the last two years towards qualifying for the medical leave necessary to have her shoulder reconstructed.
Without this surgery to repair her shoulder, Rachiel will not be able to keep her job as a nurse.
The surgery to repair her shoulder will cost $5,000 up front, and the total out of pocket expense are expected to be over $15,000.
There will be physical therapy and other miscellaneous costs from the surgery, as well as lost wages for several months, as she will not be allowed to lift any weight at all during healing. Because of the debts accumulated since the injury, Rachiel has no money beyond her paycheck. The goal for this gofundme campaign has been set at $9000. If we can gather this amount, she can cover the up-front cost necessary to have the surgery done, and can eat and get to and from therapy for the minimum period following. She believes that she can handle the remainder of the out of pocket expenses over time, by arranging payment plans.
Any contribution that you can make to help Rachiel get this surgery will be deeply appreciated.
Organizer and beneficiary
Robert Beauford
Organizer
Eureka Springs, AR
Rachiel Stewart
Beneficiary
