Help Corinne After Knee Injury
Donation protected
Dear friends and family,
On Sat 11/7, I was out hiking a rock scramble near New Paltz. As I was maneuvering through the last narrow crevice I ended up slipping, falling, rupturing my ACL and sustaining a L tibial eminence fracture. In other words, I broke my knee.
After roughly 3-4hrs of waiting for the rescue team to safely anchor ropes to the mountainside and attach a stokes basket, they were able to lower me down the mountain and transport me to the ER. This was an extremely frightening experience for me; however, despite the immense pain I was in, while waiting to be transported, I was able to find comfort in the beautiful sunset, starry night sky and the amazing rescue team that stayed by my side and talked me through the process.
During a follow up with my orthopedic dr, he attempted to reset my knee and placed me in a full knee immobilizer that I’m required to wear for 6 weeks; however, if this method isn’t successful, I will require surgery.
As a single mother, the last year has been a steady struggle for me. I was maintaining two jobs and full-time school in an attempt to reach my goal of becoming an OTA (Occupational therapy assistant). Due to fieldwork (requiring me to work 5 days a week, 40+ hrs without pay), I was unable to continue my job as a secretary at the college. Shortly after that, the post at my second job was shut down. Then the pandemic emerged - this left me without work and unable to continue my required fieldwork hrs for graduation. (My class was scheduled to graduate in May.) Luckily, starting in August, our professors were able to get us back to fieldwork, one by one.
Prior to breaking my knee, I was successfully completing field with only one week left. Sadly, my injury compromised my completion of field since I am unable to treat my case load. Despite this, my OT supervisor and professors have been compassionate and understanding and are allowing me to pass and graduate on time if I’m able to complete my final project. Though that is a blessing, I still need to take my state board exam (a $500 expense), pass the exam and heal my knee before I can search for a job and achieve my career goal (which i’m exceptionally passionate about).
All that said, I never realized how difficult it would be to maneuver on crutches and all the obstacles I’d have to face. Though I’ve been trying to stay positive, this has been taking a toll on my physical strength and mental health. I’ve been in constant pain and overwhelmed with anxiety these last few days. I’m struggling to keep up with my bills, and won’t be able to acquire work for the next 6 weeks; possibly longer depending on whether or not I’ll need surgery and how long I’ll need physical therapy. Also, I’m unsure of what my medical bills will amount to, if any. This being the case, I’m reaching out to any of my friends and family who would be kind enough to help me through my struggles these next couple months. My daughter, Gia, has been exceptionally helpful in assisting me with my daily routine, but I’d be especially grateful for any extra help we can receive during this time. (Shopping, cleaning, cooking, loan of assistive devises, a small donation, good company for a few laughs or simply sharing this link)
Thank you, in advance, to anyone who is willing to help us through this time!
With sincere gratitude,
Corinne
On Sat 11/7, I was out hiking a rock scramble near New Paltz. As I was maneuvering through the last narrow crevice I ended up slipping, falling, rupturing my ACL and sustaining a L tibial eminence fracture. In other words, I broke my knee.
After roughly 3-4hrs of waiting for the rescue team to safely anchor ropes to the mountainside and attach a stokes basket, they were able to lower me down the mountain and transport me to the ER. This was an extremely frightening experience for me; however, despite the immense pain I was in, while waiting to be transported, I was able to find comfort in the beautiful sunset, starry night sky and the amazing rescue team that stayed by my side and talked me through the process.
During a follow up with my orthopedic dr, he attempted to reset my knee and placed me in a full knee immobilizer that I’m required to wear for 6 weeks; however, if this method isn’t successful, I will require surgery.
As a single mother, the last year has been a steady struggle for me. I was maintaining two jobs and full-time school in an attempt to reach my goal of becoming an OTA (Occupational therapy assistant). Due to fieldwork (requiring me to work 5 days a week, 40+ hrs without pay), I was unable to continue my job as a secretary at the college. Shortly after that, the post at my second job was shut down. Then the pandemic emerged - this left me without work and unable to continue my required fieldwork hrs for graduation. (My class was scheduled to graduate in May.) Luckily, starting in August, our professors were able to get us back to fieldwork, one by one.
Prior to breaking my knee, I was successfully completing field with only one week left. Sadly, my injury compromised my completion of field since I am unable to treat my case load. Despite this, my OT supervisor and professors have been compassionate and understanding and are allowing me to pass and graduate on time if I’m able to complete my final project. Though that is a blessing, I still need to take my state board exam (a $500 expense), pass the exam and heal my knee before I can search for a job and achieve my career goal (which i’m exceptionally passionate about).
All that said, I never realized how difficult it would be to maneuver on crutches and all the obstacles I’d have to face. Though I’ve been trying to stay positive, this has been taking a toll on my physical strength and mental health. I’ve been in constant pain and overwhelmed with anxiety these last few days. I’m struggling to keep up with my bills, and won’t be able to acquire work for the next 6 weeks; possibly longer depending on whether or not I’ll need surgery and how long I’ll need physical therapy. Also, I’m unsure of what my medical bills will amount to, if any. This being the case, I’m reaching out to any of my friends and family who would be kind enough to help me through my struggles these next couple months. My daughter, Gia, has been exceptionally helpful in assisting me with my daily routine, but I’d be especially grateful for any extra help we can receive during this time. (Shopping, cleaning, cooking, loan of assistive devises, a small donation, good company for a few laughs or simply sharing this link)
Thank you, in advance, to anyone who is willing to help us through this time!
With sincere gratitude,
Corinne
Organizer
Corinne Leigh
Organizer
Wallkill, NY