Help Eliana Heal From a Severed Pancreas

Hi, my name is Nicole and I'm raising money to help support my family during this difficult time.

On June 2, 2022 our 8 yr old daughter, Eliana, was involved in a serious bike accident. She fell off her bike and landed on the end of the handle bar. The blunt force trauma caused her pancreas to split in half. This is a very rare injury. From the ER she was transferred to Lutheran General hospital in Park Ridge. She was in the PICU for several days where a stent was placed to try and bridge the gap between the two pieces. They were not able to accomplish this. A PICC line was also placed to give her TPN and meds. She has an NG tube to help prevent vomiting as her stomach is not emptying. She can not eat.

Since, a pseudocyst appears to be forming. These can take up to 6 weeks to fully mature before you can act on them. An NJ tube was placed to try to feed her via her GI tract. So far she has not been tolerating the feeds well.

She will be inpatient for several more weeks...at least. This is a rare injury and not common in the peds world. There is no textbook to follow. Every decision is based on a culmination of different cases and input by many doctors. I feel like we take 1 step forward, then 1 step back. She can't catch a break.

We have 3 other children at home, 10-4 yrs old. Our youngest battled neuroblastoma. We are no stranger to the hospital, so we know how difficult this is going to be. Our home is 45 min (on a good day) away from the hospital, we have no family here, and one of us has been staying with her 24/7. This is starting to take a toll on everyone. I see it wearing on her.

Funds raised will be used for gas, food, bills, anything she needs to stay comfortable in the hospital, or make our life easier. We may send the other kids to VT when sports end, but the cost of doing that, whether gas or plane, is insane.

Eliana is the sweetest 8 year old you will meet. She is so inquisitive and has a passion for life. Everyone loves her! She is a level 4/5 gymnast at Ultimate Gymnastics, she plays club soccer for FC Lake County, softball for LVTB, and dabbles in any other sport she has time to play. She loves her dog and being outside.

This is going to be a very long road to recovery. She has many people who love her, so please help us rally behind her!