Help Ashley with Bills for Baby Shields
Donation protected
We were beyond thrilled to find out I was pregnant in December! However, nobody could have prepared us for what happened next. Only a few days after I found out I was pregnant, I started falling very ill. This illness came on very fast and has only gotten worse. After my first of MANY visits to the Emergency room I was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum or HG. HG is defined as a potentially life-threatening pregnancy disease that causes weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration, and complete debility due to severe nausea and/or vomiting, and may cause long-term health issues and or death for mother and baby.
My daily life became unmanageable. For over 4 months I haven't been able to keep down hardly any food or water. It feels like you are starving and on the verge of death from dehydration 24/7! Everyday I continually cry because I don't know if my baby is still alive or if I'll make it through the night. It is taking not only an extreme physical toll but also a mental and emotional toll as well.
I only moved to NYC in October to be with my life partner. Due to Covid I was unable to find any work in my field of Aesthetics and no health insurance either. HG has left me completely debilitated and unable to work or do much of anything besides rest and vomit. I have had almost weekly visits to the Emergency room, doctors appointments, and hospital stays. On top of all of that, I have had to receive almost weekly at home care as well since I'm so high risk. That means nurses coming to our apartment to attempt to hydrate and nourish me with IV treatments, zofran pump site changes, boxes of medicine and supplies delivered as well. We also found out last week that my oxygen levels are terrible and I've had to be put on a new steroid just to breathe normally.
A few weeks ago during a 4 day hospital stay, a high risk OBGYN team figured out a cocktail of about 7 different oral medications that seemed to be giving me the first sense of relief in over 4 months. It was working great, until a few days ago my body stopped responding to the medicine again and the HG was back in full swing. That means not keeping down food again, not being able to keep down liquids again, the migraines are back, the nose bleeds returned, and my sleep deprivation is worse than ever. Now that I can't keep down the oral medication anymore and the zofran pump (that you have to stick yourself in the stomach with a needle twice a day) isn't working for me either, I'm not sure what my options will be moving forward. I can't even keep down my prenatals which puts our baby even more at risk... I am so worried for my sweet unborn child's life as well as my own. The doctors hoped by the 2nd trimester I would start to get better but unfortunately, it only got worse for me. Being debilitated and chronically ill while pregnant has been the biggest challenge of my life.
My future husband and partner has been my rock and I appreciate him so much. However, he's an amazing Executive Chef in NYC during this terrible time of Covid. Restaurants are still only at a 35% capacity with mandatory social distancing as well. The Restaurant industry took the biggest hit over this past year and doesn't seem to be getting any closer to back to normal. With his industry hurting and me sick, unable to work, and pregnant- bills have been piling up uncontrollably. We aren't too proud to admit that we have really been struggling since my HG diagnosis and could really use some help. I was denied unemployment funds and any help from the government in NY because I did not have a job specifically in NYC in the past year. We have tried every outlet to do this on our own and we ended up here. A sweet friend of mine shared his brave story with me last week and gave me the courage and strength to start a GoFUndMe. Everyday I am fighting for not only my life, but our child's life as well. This is definitely the most pressing and urgent crisis in our lives at the moment. I have never felt more lost, scared, and helpless all at the same time.
It's never easy to ask people to help with money or medical expenses + bills, but any donation amount would help us immensely and be so appreciated. These funds will all go towards Medical Bills, Tests, Doctor's appointments, and everything to make sure our baby and I stay alive and as healthy as possible. If you can't donate we understand and love you just the same- but if you can donate or help out in any other way you can think of please don't hesitate to reach out to myself or Michael.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story and consider making a donation. Please share this with your friends or family or anybody you know. We love and appreciate you all.
My daily life became unmanageable. For over 4 months I haven't been able to keep down hardly any food or water. It feels like you are starving and on the verge of death from dehydration 24/7! Everyday I continually cry because I don't know if my baby is still alive or if I'll make it through the night. It is taking not only an extreme physical toll but also a mental and emotional toll as well.
I only moved to NYC in October to be with my life partner. Due to Covid I was unable to find any work in my field of Aesthetics and no health insurance either. HG has left me completely debilitated and unable to work or do much of anything besides rest and vomit. I have had almost weekly visits to the Emergency room, doctors appointments, and hospital stays. On top of all of that, I have had to receive almost weekly at home care as well since I'm so high risk. That means nurses coming to our apartment to attempt to hydrate and nourish me with IV treatments, zofran pump site changes, boxes of medicine and supplies delivered as well. We also found out last week that my oxygen levels are terrible and I've had to be put on a new steroid just to breathe normally.
A few weeks ago during a 4 day hospital stay, a high risk OBGYN team figured out a cocktail of about 7 different oral medications that seemed to be giving me the first sense of relief in over 4 months. It was working great, until a few days ago my body stopped responding to the medicine again and the HG was back in full swing. That means not keeping down food again, not being able to keep down liquids again, the migraines are back, the nose bleeds returned, and my sleep deprivation is worse than ever. Now that I can't keep down the oral medication anymore and the zofran pump (that you have to stick yourself in the stomach with a needle twice a day) isn't working for me either, I'm not sure what my options will be moving forward. I can't even keep down my prenatals which puts our baby even more at risk... I am so worried for my sweet unborn child's life as well as my own. The doctors hoped by the 2nd trimester I would start to get better but unfortunately, it only got worse for me. Being debilitated and chronically ill while pregnant has been the biggest challenge of my life.
My future husband and partner has been my rock and I appreciate him so much. However, he's an amazing Executive Chef in NYC during this terrible time of Covid. Restaurants are still only at a 35% capacity with mandatory social distancing as well. The Restaurant industry took the biggest hit over this past year and doesn't seem to be getting any closer to back to normal. With his industry hurting and me sick, unable to work, and pregnant- bills have been piling up uncontrollably. We aren't too proud to admit that we have really been struggling since my HG diagnosis and could really use some help. I was denied unemployment funds and any help from the government in NY because I did not have a job specifically in NYC in the past year. We have tried every outlet to do this on our own and we ended up here. A sweet friend of mine shared his brave story with me last week and gave me the courage and strength to start a GoFUndMe. Everyday I am fighting for not only my life, but our child's life as well. This is definitely the most pressing and urgent crisis in our lives at the moment. I have never felt more lost, scared, and helpless all at the same time.
It's never easy to ask people to help with money or medical expenses + bills, but any donation amount would help us immensely and be so appreciated. These funds will all go towards Medical Bills, Tests, Doctor's appointments, and everything to make sure our baby and I stay alive and as healthy as possible. If you can't donate we understand and love you just the same- but if you can donate or help out in any other way you can think of please don't hesitate to reach out to myself or Michael.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story and consider making a donation. Please share this with your friends or family or anybody you know. We love and appreciate you all.
Organizer
Ashley Franke
Organizer
New York, NY