Help Emily Overcome Her Medical Hurdles

Hello family, friends, colleagues, patrons, and compassionate strangers. I am reaching out to you all on behalf of my dear friend, Emily Eberhardt, who is in great need of our support. As some of you may already know, over the past year and a half, Emily has undergone two major surgeries that have completely altered her life as she knew it. Recently, she discovered that she will need yet another surgery. During this time, Em has not been able to work, and her savings account has all but depleted. Any donations will help to cover her out-of-pocket medical expenses, as well as everyday expenses, including food, medical supplies, household bills, and mortgage payments.

In March of 2023, Emily was diagnosed with organ-directed cystic fibrosis (CF) which had been aggressively attacking her pancreas for more than ten years. As a career server with no health insurance, at that time, her care options were limited, and Em was misdiagnosed with pancreatitis after seeking relief from the intense pain she had been experiencing. She was told she simply would have to learn to live with chronic pain and flare-ups and that nothing further could be done.

Years later, after accepting a position as a General Manager with full health insurance benefits, Emily could finally seek the quality care she so desperately needed. Unfortunately, by then the CF had deteriorated her pancreas severely and, on top of that, the doctors also found a plethora of calcified pancreatic stones embedded within it. After several unsuccessful attempts to remove the stones laparoscopically, the decision was made to perform a total pancreatectomy with autologous islet cell transplantation. The goal of this surgery was to remove the damaged pancreas fully, harvest the insulin-producing cells, called “islets,” and transplant them into her liver with the hopes that they would function within the liver and ultimately prevent diabetes. Approximately 30 to 40 percent of patients who have AIT will not require insulin injections after the procedure. Sadly, this was not the case for Emily, who is now a Type I Diabetic and will be for life.

After seven months of recovery, Emily was finally cleared to return to work in the second week of October 2023. In late September, she began feeling intense pain in her abdomen, worse than she had ever experienced. She visited the emergency room where her pain was once again misdiagnosed as “gas,” and the doctors sent her home. The pain only worsened, and Emily sought a second opinion with her surgeon, Dr. Matthews, who had performed her pancreatectomy. He informed her that she had a 5mm perforated bowel which was leaking gastric acids and bacteria into her body and was causing sepsis, which is life-threatening and often fatal if left untreated. They immediately performed emergency surgery to repair the tear and save her life. Thankfully, the surgery was successful, but it reset her recovery clock by several more months.

As if this wasn’t enough, now Emily faces another unexpected surgery. As a result of her first two major surgeries, she has developed several hernias that will need to be operated on as soon as possible. Because Emily’s career as a restaurant General Manager is so physically demanding, she has not been able to return to work and may never be able to resume her career at this point. If you know Emily, you know her as a hardworking, selfless, and warmhearted woman, a truly beautiful person inside and out. Fiercely independent by nature, asking for help is not easy for her, but if there ever were a time to show her how grateful and blessed we are to have her in our lives, it is now. Any amount you can donate, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated and will make a huge impact on Em’s recovery and well-being. Whether you can donate or not, please also consider sharing this post to help spread the word so we can meet our goal. Thank you for your time and support!