Help Andrew with Amputation Medical costs

Hi, My name is Andrew Peterson and I don’t know where else to turn right now due to some very unsuspected recent challenges in my life. 

Due to a traumatic ankle/tibia injury in May, 2020 (away from home, near Iowa) I have not been able to walk.  I suffered a compound fracture of the left ankle at the spot where the shin bone and ankle connect. I also shattered my fibula. My tibia was embedded in the dirt like a tent stake. I was airlifted to a nearby hospital but had to be airlifted to another hospital that had a trauma unit. The surgeon immediately recommended a below the knee amputation because the break was so bad. He said that I would deal with infections, a long and painful recovery, and severe arthritis. I also broke my right wrist and it has healed about 80% with plates and screws. The surgeon agreed to help me try and save the limb despite the odds.

I chose to try and save the limb. During my second surgery the surgeon placed an external fixator from my mid calf to my toes. It was screwed into the bone in 6 different places to hold the broken areas in place. 

I stayed several days in the hospital and then transferred to a rehabilitation unit in Iowa to learn how to take care of basic needs and learn to go up and down stairs etc. safely, with my leg in that external fixator screwed into my bones. They taught me how to get up if I fell etc.- not easy with a broken right wrist. 

I had to move out of my apartment (although I still had to pay the rent) and into my mom's house because I could do very little for myself with the combination of broken wrist and ankle/leg! I had home health care come to the house twice a week for wound care, and my mom had to do it the rest of the week. I was required to keep my leg elevated at all times, except when I went to PT for my wrist. For 9 months we had to commute 3.5 hours each way to Iowa for follow up appointments and the additional surgeries.  I guess I thought if Alex  Smith could make a comeback, so could I!

To make a long story short- after numerous visits to a wound specialist, infectious disease doc, my 8th surgery (February, 2021) in Iowa, and a second opinion at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, I was told I have NO choice but to amputate.  The amputation date is March 30, 2021 at Northwestern. I will then be treated at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab (located next to Northwestern) for the physical therapy and learning to use the prosthesis.

Right after I learned that I needed this amputation I lost my job- and I lost my insurance. I now have to pay roughly $800/mos for Insurance and other medical expenses.  That is NOT what I needed right now,  and there is no way I can cover this amount each month. I used up most of my savings in 2020 covering the 20% of the bills that were my responsibility. The cost for the Insurance/medicals  is what I need the help with.  I was told I will not be able to work until at least October due to the numerous doctor visits and physical therapy appointments I will need.  Ive been in a rock and a hard place for a year 

GOOD NEWS: My girlfriend Ashley and I and I were surprised, but excited, to learn we will be parents in August! It's a BOY!  I am determined to learn to walk with a prosthesis before he is born. I want to be able to DRIVE Ashley to the hospital and be able to push HER in a wheelchair into the hospital! I need to be able to help with his care, too! I want to be able to play with him, and walk to him and pick him up! It is a great goal.

Any funds donated will be used solely for medical expenses. My family has been helpful for all these months, but they cannot and should not absorb all the costs. I have donated to many gofundme fundraisers and reluctantly decided to ask for help. 

I am grateful and humbled by the support I have received.  Thank you to everyone. 

Any small amount will help ❤️