Cashapp $TabithaBrubach

Final Update 09/29/2023

Written below is the medical journey my sister has been through, although everything isn’t listed it sums up the things she has been through in almost three years she has been sick. Unfortunately the time has come to where she has decided  no longer progress with treatment. My sister has been through a lot and has decided to stop treatment and to be placed on Hospice care out of the comfort of her own home. 

With that being said we are now requesting donations for her funeral service costs, as well as a beach trip for her, her girls and her husband to go on to celebrate what time they have left with her. 

My sister suffers from internal bleeding that can not be treated or prevented, on top of all her other medical issues  therefore if she goes home she is going home for her final rest. Alex will be leaving two daughters behind, therefore her little family could use all the help they can get in this time financially, physically and mentally. 

This is going to be a difficult time for all of us as she is the glue that holds our family together and in this time we would like to make as many lasting memories as we can. We appreciate greatly everyone who has donated, shared and prayed on behalf of her and our family’s healing. 

**** Updates will be written below and dated****

On Monday, March 1st 2021, Alex went to Johnson Willis Emergency Care due to not feeling well after having a standard procedure performed on her two weeks prior. (A Hysterectomy) What She had originally thought was just dehydration due to the lack of hormones in her body quickly became more than that. So unfortunately that was not the case. Alex was originally kept for testing and monitoring due to elevated levels but it quickly turned from residing in the general care unit to being transferred into the ICU within hours of her time there. After being transferred to the ICU Alex was sedated and then Intubated to help maintain her pain and regulate her breathing. There were a lot of questions that had no answers which left several doctors scrambling to help her. After a lot of thought Alex was then transferred to VCU by Med-flight.

After arriving at VCU extensive testing and exploratory surgery began where she was cut from her lower stomach to her lower breast. Some results showed low kidney function and possible liver failure. Alex was then placed on dialysis to take some of the stress off of them as a preventative measure. Things seemed to have been looking brighter for her because she was in the process of being taken off dialysis, she was ex-intubated, and also fully alert and talking. After three days of being seemingly fine, Alex's Medical issues took a turn for the worse. Around midnight on Thursday, March 4th Alex had to be re-Intubated and sedated again as her levels began to crash significantly. She was then taken into an emergency surgery that resulted in the discovery of Pancreatitis (Unknown Stage level at this time). During surgery, her stomach filled with blood so the doctors had to move fast in finding a treatment plan. The next step that was decided on was to Insert drain tubes into her pancreas to drain the excess toxic bile. Since the infection was so large and in so many areas of her body from spreading they continued to leave her body cavity open so that they could attach a "vacuum bandage" to cover the open wound to be able to access it with hopes of being able to close her body cavity within 24 hours. Right now it is determined that Alex will need 2-3 flushes to her pancreas to help clear out the area. However, during her scheduled third flush the surgeons found that her gallbladder was severely inflamed and ultimately decided to remove it.

On Saturday, March 6th 2021, Alex was ex-intubated again but then quickly re-intubated a couple of hours later (Possibly 3) due to her oxygen levels not holding on their own. Currently, it is Friday, March 12th, and it has been decided by her medical team that Alex will need extensive physical therapy, 5-6 Weeks longer (from today) in the ICU and then 2-3 Months (after) in the General Care Unit. Alex is still intubated and if her oxygen levels continue on the path they are on a temporary trachea will have to be placed to assist with her breathing. Side effects from the infection are creating problems in areas such as her feet. In good news, the test results from her liver came back and it is determined that they are not in active liver failure her liver did take an extreme amount of damage, but has a high probability of repairing itself through her recovery. The Drain tubes that were previously talked about are still in her pancreas draining as much of the infection as possible at a steady rate. We are not sure what caused the infection at this time but we do know that it is severe and has/is continuing to run vigorously through her body. It has been stated that Alex will need a full year before she is back to normal (after being released from the hospital) and able to provide for herself and her little family. With that being said she undeniably going to have very long road of recovery ahead of her. She will not be able to work, or even do basic things for herself for over a year. 

Alex is a wonderful mother to two beautiful girls, Zoey and Lydia. An amazing wife, friend, Aunt, Sister, Daughter, granddaughter and Future Nurse. Having the purest heart and always doing what she can for others she's always the one that wants to help, Alex truly is the glue to our family. She never asks for help or shows what is hurting her in any way being a very strong, dedicated individual but this time she needs our help, and prayers. A share or donation takes her and her family a long way to financial stability and recovery at this time.

This family has been through the absolute worst and it’s unfathomable that it’s happening again. Alex’s first daughter Zoey spent her time in the ICU for several months after birth due to a very large heart murmur but she was strong and overtime recovered after multiple heart surgeries throughout her life. Then Lydia, Alex’s second daughter, not long ago spent her time in the ICU, fighting everyday after having multiple seizures, a brain aneurysm and a stroke on the right side of her body at only 3 years old... she is still working on her recovery. Now Alex is the one fighting for her life, and her health. If you know my sister, and her little family, then you know the medical struggles that they’ve been through. Please take the time to Pray, Share, or Donate. 

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Update on 03.18.2021

With todays update comes unfortunate news, Alex will need to have a trachea placed in order to help assist her with her breathing. 

As of yesterday it was declared that she has four toes that suffer tissue damage from lack of blood and oxygen being provided to them. Alex’s body cavity located above her pancreas still remains open as they are still continuously draining the infection out of her pancreas in attempts to slow the spread and to get her more stabilized. Since Alex is very ill she can no longer feed herself due to severe weakness, and edema (Swelling caused by fluid build up in her body's tissue) throughout her entire body causing her to barely be able to move. Therefore she has had to have a feeding tube placed in her stomach to aid her. Due to her current state of health she is having to have around the clock monitoring, with the exception of one visitor per day. She is no longer verbal, and since she is on a lot of medication she is spending a lot of her time sleeping. 

Alex is a strong, beautiful woman, and a fighter but she needs our help. Her body is full of fluid so moving hurts her tremendously but that doesn’t stop the sarcastic eye rolls and humorous/sarcastic jokes written on her white board. Her personality over shines most, she’s one of a kind and deserves any help anyone can provide even if it’s just a share. 

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Update on 04.07.2021

Diagnosis - “Necrotizing pancreatitis (NP) is a health problem in which part of your pancreas dies. This is because of inflammation or injury to the pancreas. If the dead tissue gets infected, it can cause serious issues. The pancreas is an organ that sits behind your stomach. It makes fluids that flow through a duct into the small intestine.” In Alex’s case, the dead tissue did become infected after her pancreas had been damaged during her hysterectomy and the infection ran ramped through her body causing all the other issues such as damaged liver and kidney function. As previously stated, Alex had a bleed in her stomach that couldn’t be found, thankfully it has been located and the bleeding has now been stopped. Alex’s stay at VCU hospital is estimated to be almost a year (Starting on 03.01.2021), and after discharge, she is to be placed in a rehab facility for physical therapy. She has such a long road to recovery and every step of the way she needs positivity and prayers. 

Alex now has a trachea placed in order to help regulate her breathing, and the swelling in her body has gone down, but not as much as we would like for it to have. Her toes still have not recovered, and her body cavity remains open with a wound vac now in place. Her speech is still very limited as she is getting used to the trachea, so she is still communicating through writing. Her pain levels have not come down at this point in time, but they are being managed by her nursing team. She is still in the ICU unit at VCU, no oral solids or liquids, and dialysis is still being administered to her due to no kidney function, and low liver function. 

Please continue to Share, Donate, and Pray for my sister’s family. 

I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has helped thus far, mentally, physically, and emotionally. 

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Update 04.12.2021

Nurses and Doctors have worked tirelessly to care and provide for Alex to the best of their abilities. Thankfully all effort is starting to pay off. Over the past couple of weeks, a ventilator is what has been supporting Alex's breathing. Since Alex seems to be getting better, they are going to try and lower her vent. This decision was made based on the fact that she was breathing over it slightly (YAY)! Her team of doctors and nurses are wanting to see if she can breathe on her own in an attempt to slowly help her take back control of her breathing. 

Through all of this, Alex is continuing to keep her amazing sense of humor even through all of this trauma which is very admirable. Although she does have her bad days, which any one of us would she is still the strongest person I've ever come to know. She still needs our help though, financially, physically, and mentally. Alex has a long road of recovery ahead of her, we are all continuously praying for her. 

The expected stay time is still set to be close to a year and following release it is still expected that she must be placed in a rehab facility. 

This whole process is very mentally and physically hard on her and her family. As a mother of two elementary-aged children, she's struggling with missing her babies, and missing the one-on-one connection with her spouse as there isn't much time spent without doctors, nurses, or her need to sleep due to not only being in her situation but also her husband’s full-time job. All of this is also mentally hard on her husband Jesse, so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as well. Something that is very upsetting for Alex is that she also has had to put her nursing career on hold. She can no longer attend school at this moment or even until she is fully recovered, she attended an advanced program for nursing (RN) with the goal of becoming an (NP) and she was very close to finishing when she got sick. She feels as if all her hard work is vanishing. We are all trying to keep her spirits high but the mother in her, and the wife in her still worry about her family. Our goal is to make this as easy as possible for her so she can focus on herself and her recovery. 

Anything helps, everything is appreciated, prayers, donations, and shares.

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Update 04.19.2021 

With the help of 3 nurses and a Hoyer lift, Alex was able to sit up the other day! This is a HUGE step for her recovery process! Sitting up promotes blood flow relieves pressure on hot spots from being bedridden, improves the brain and bodily duties, encourages muscle growth, elevates blood pressure, but most importantly aids in expanding airflow to the lungs as well as boosts their functions

For those of you that don’t know Alex is almost completely immobile. She is unable to move her arms, legs, head and almost every extremity aside from her right hand which she uses to communicate, using her phone, whiteboard, or sign language. 

Today we received some AMAZING news, Alex’s body produced pee! That gives us proof that her kidney functions are improving and repairing themselves without needing a transplant. It has been weeks since she put out any urine due to the trauma and damage her kidneys and liver have sustained. So, today’s news is fantastic! Alex has been NPO (nothing by mouth) for almost 2 months now. She receives all her nutrition (food, drink, all the vitamins and minerals her body needs to survive) in the form of an IV she has a special concoction created to meet her body’s needs. Typically, doctors ‍ would use a feeding tube but her body isn’t currently able to process and break down food the traditional way using the digestive tract so the fluid they give her has replaced everything she would typically eat while avoiding food/drink going through her stomach. 

Alex is still on a ventilator but is now, for the most part, only using around 20% of the ventilator. There are times when she uses less and other times when she needs more. Since the doctors and nurses are trying to lessen the need of the ventilator, they have been experimenting with different levels to see which ones she can maintain the most easily. Once she reaches a certain point when it gets too low for her, she goes into respiratory distress, but they are confident that with continued practice she will be breathing on her own at some point. Alex is on many medications to keep her stable. Last week they took her off of Oxycodone and switched her to continual fentanyl IV with a fentanyl drip/button she can push if her pain becomes worse it will automatically administer more pain medication to her. They have her on numerous antibiotics and steroids I honestly can’t count how many, but I believe it’s around 10. Her toes are still black, and she is on blood pressure medication to keep her BP in the normal range. She has been receiving dialysis 24/7 and we don’t have an end date for any of these medications or therapies yet.

The weight of the tracheotomy has caused her Incision to slightly expand so they are packing the tear in hopes of it closing soon. She gets her lungs and trachea suctioned multiple times a day to pull the fluid out of her lungs. Alex's Body cavity remains open and is continuing to be flushed daily and the dressings (Bandages) are being changed daily to help speed up getting rid of the infection. She still has multiple drainage tubes/pouches to help get rid of the access fluid. 

Thank you to everyone who has donated and prayed. Thank you to everyone who has said kind words or offered to help her family. Thank you to everyone who offered food or an ear to listen. This is far from over, but Alex is the strongest woman I know, and she will keep fighting. Please remember to share and keep her in your prayers.

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Update on 05.20.2021

Tonight Alex’s lung collapsed resulting in having to have emergency surgery to fix the situation. In order to fix it, a chest tube had to be placed. A chest tube helps to reduce the air in the lungs so that they can heal. As the air pressure decreases, the lung re-expands and heals. The bleeding in Alex’s stomach has also started again but this time it is in more than one place, resulting in another drain having to be placed. There have been some minor setbacks to Alex’s recovery but with her strong mind and determination, we know she will pull through this. 

The incision sight on her chest remains open. At this point in time, the constant dialysis has unfortunately caused significant hair loss. This information is particularly sensitive to Alex because if you know her, she takes a lot of pride in her hair. It's like a security blanket. 

The fluid/swelling has gone down a lot but there is still a lot that needs too. Her eyes are no longer a bright yellow as before which is great news! That shows that her liver is very slowly but surely repairing itself! All other information from previous updates unfortunately remains the same. 

We love our sister very much and would do anything for her, but there’s only so much we can do. We really need the public’s help in launching this go-fund me so please continue to share, donate, and pray for her family and her health. 

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Update on 06.10.2021 

This one is a BIG update. After four months of being in the ICU Alex has fought her way to the step-down unit! Not only that BUT she can also now eat Ice chips! She particularly likes the ones that come from flavored drinks, but anything wet is good to her after months of dry mouth. She still has a long road of recovery, but we are so proud of her for coming this far!!! One big step down, and only a few more to go!

Alex does have surgery today on her stomach placing a larger drain as the smaller ones she has now are starting to not help. With every step back we hope for ten steps forward! Everyone loves her and can’t wait for her to get better! Please continue to pray, donate, and share this fundraiser as y’alls prayers are WORKING!! Thank you to everyone that has prayed so far!!! 

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Update 07.29.2021

Today unfortunate events happened. Instead of being able to provide y'all with the positive update that we had planned to, Alex has now been transferred back to the ICU due to dangerous amounts of fluid in her lungs. If you have been following her journey you would know that recently both of her lungs collapsed, so having fluid on them is very dangerous for her. 

Alex misses home, she misses eating, walking, cookouts, and spending time with her children. So far, she has missed holidays, birthdays, celebrations, and milestones that her children have accomplished. Every setback makes her feel discouraged, every setback puts her family further in a hole financially due to no fault of her own. Due to covid she can't see her children regularly, she can’t see her family when she wants to, or her friends. It has taken a very large toll on her mental health. Although she has continued to be a fighter through all of this, you can tell it makes her very sad going through it all. 

So please continue to share, donate, and pray for her. 

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Update 09.03.2021 

Alex has now been hospitalized for six months now. She is currently still in the ICU and her original stay date has now changed to Unknown. There is no longer any release date information being talked about or suggested by nurses or doctors. Every step that she has moved forward, seems to have made her take several steps back. We are all staying positive throughout it all. Her health just seems to be holding a steady rate as of right now. 

She still has a long road and still needs our help. Anything you can do from sharing her story to donating or simply praying for her is all appreciated. 

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Update on 09.16.21

Great news! Alex has passed her Barium Speech Study today. After 7 long months in the hospital with several ups and downs and close calls, she finally has gotten to the stage where she can eat orally again! So, this afternoon she will be having lunch for the first time in a long time! We are all so very proud of her progress these last couple of weeks. 

Thank you so much to everyone who has continued to pray and share the story. 

Second Update on 09.16.2021

Unfortunately, after receiving her first meal, and having only taken a few bites it was determined that she was not ready to move to that step of her recovery, therefore, her eating privileges were sadly revoked. Her throat just couldn’t handle the solid foods this time. Her care team discovered a leak in her intestines that resulted in a 102-degree fever and severely elevated levels. 

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Update on 10. 05.2021 

Alex has now been In the hospital for 8 long months without any set date to return home. Every single day is a battle for her, and her recovery but one can only stay positive for so long. She is struggling, mentally and emotionally. She misses her children and her husband, and can only think of the burden this is putting on them financially. She doesn’t need that stress at this time as her main focus needs to be to get better, so her heart needs all the help she can get.

please continue to pray for her. 

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Update 10.23.2021

Although the surgery went well yesterday with Alex, after doing some test to see more clearly the success of it, she was given more bad news. They unfortunately did not fix the problem. She will have to remain in the hospital for another 6 to 12 months before any other procedures can be performed. She needs to heal a lot more before then, since her body has already endured so much trauma from illness and procedures it is in her best interest that no other surgeries be performed until she has healed more mentally and physically. Please if you know her personally, reach out to her. It’s been 8 months already and she has up to 12 more before they can even try something else. when she gets to a certain point she will be willing to take more visitors, but as of right now she doesn't feel as if she wants to be personally exposed like that.

You can send cards to keep her spirits up to the hospital, Her name is Tabitha Brubach and she currently resides on the 9th floor (main) intensive care unit at VCU room 202. We continue to thank all that have helped and will continue to do so. There will be a donation box at 301 pike pub in Chesterfield VA soon for those who can find it to help them with everyday living expenses. The ups and downs that have come with this trauma have been exhausting for our family all around, especially for her. Thanks, everyone! 

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Update on 11.22.2021 

Today we received amazing news! Alex is being transferred to a physical therapy facility to receive treatment to prepare her for her home life! There she will have help with re-learning how to walk again and building up strength in her muscles. Thanks for all the prayers and donations as they are both still needed for her recovery journey! 

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Update 12.17.2021 

Great news!!! Although Alex is still recovering she has made her way home just in time for Christmas!! Not only is she above the moon to see her babies, but she also gets to lie and bed and enjoy the holidays as she did before she was sick. We are all so very proud of her! We hope she continues to thrive! She’s a very very strong woman! She can now walk for short periods of time, and hold a conversation, her trachea has been removed, but she still has a feeding tube as she is severely underweight. 

She still isn’t going to be able to work for several months possibly years and still could use all the exposure or donations as possible. 

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Update 12.27.2021

After a tough couple of days at home, due to her medical issues, Alex is now unfortunately back in the hospital. She has been diagnosed with pneumonia on top of everything else she has going on. Please continue to pray! 

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Update 01.03.2022

Once again Alex has shown she is amazing and will fight through anything as she is back home with her little family! Even though the weather is bad outside she was determined. We are so proud of her! 

Unfortunately, since she did get sick in a whole new way her recovery and healing process how now lengthened. Please continue to donate, give exposure to her cause and pray. 

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Update 01.14.2022

We are saddened to share that Alex has made her way back to The ICU unit with obstructed bowels, and the feeding tube in her stomach needs to be moved as it is causing issues for her. Her estimated stay this time is until March 2022. As her body is very small and fragile right now they have to slowly treat her this time. She has been through so much in the last year it breaks all of our hearts. It seems she is going through one thing after another, and this all started after having a standard procedure with her doctor to have a laparoscopic hysterectomy. She wants nothing more than to be okay, after defeating the odds several times, fighting for her life every single day, living in a hospital bed and unable to see her children for months at a time she is very mentally and physically exhausted. 

She could use so much help financially, physically and emotionally. Please continue to pray, donate and expose her story.

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UPDATE 03.24.2023

Long Overdue Update: At this point in Tabitha's journey, she has now been in the hospital for two years give or take a few home visits that lasted a couple of days. Home visits were short-lived due to her medical conditions. She has lost all her hair from dialysis, broken her ankle, and ribs had several other organs removed due to the illness and ripped open her throat where her trachea used to be from a fall, all of these did not happen at once, some occurred during her homestays which ended up putting her back into the hospital as a fall risk, others occured while in the hospital. These injuries never would have never occurred if she hadn't been sick.

Tabitha (Alex) has been fighting for her life for two years and will be fighting for the rest of her life. her visits with her children are only once a week, she is only 30 years old and has been dealing with this for two years after receiving a negligent doctor for her routine procedure of a hysterectomy. She is unable to leave the hospital at this time.

In the span of two years, Alex has had to undergo multiple surgeries the exact number is unknown but could be ranging from 20 - 50 procedures. On 03.22.2023 Alex was scheduled to have a Pancreas cell plant transplant that was supposed to give her more quality of a life. This transplant was rescheduled from January of this year due to Alex getting sick.

During pre-op, it was determined that the surgery was too risky, and could potentially end her life. Medical professionals discovered that her organs had fused together during her healing time due to mass inflammation and swelling in the area. Instead of receiving the transplant, Alex needed the medical professionals to perform another procedure that would allow her to orally eat solid foods because she was unable to do so before due to her illness.

The option of ever living a completely normal life like she did before she got sick is no longer an option. According to the doctors she will be living with Necrotizing pancreatitis and will always be in pain. The next step in her recovery focuses directly on pain management. With this illness there is a 3% survival rate, therefore she is a fighter!

Even though it has been a very tough two years for Alex she has remained in high spirits, she truly is the strongest person I've ever known. With that being said, this is not only her struggle it is also the struggle of the tiny family she has created for herself. She and her husband could use all the help they could get.

All donations are going directly to the family. All donations are to help provide a stable living environment for Alex and her family, Medical Bills, and medical equipment that health insurance does not cover as well as travel expenses.

If you are not able to donate at this time, please share her story.