Help Kelley Tyus hear again!

Hi, my name is Kyndel, and I am fundraising for my beautiful mama, Kelley Stanley Tyus.

Kelley is the most loving, caring and giving person I know. She loves Jesus and her family, finds peace in music and gardening, and enjoys few things more than caring for (and feeding) the people she loves.

Kelley is always the first person to raise her hand if someone needs help, and the last person to ask for help. Which is why I am asking instead.

In 2002 Kelley lost hearing in her left ear due to an acoustic neuroma, a rare but benign tumor found on the main nerve from the inner ear to the brain. A short time later, doctors found a second, very slow-growing, acoustic neuroma on her right side. Doctors watched the second tumor closely for almost 20 years. Then, in, 2020 the tumor started to grow at a rapid pace, threatening her remaining hearing and balance. In 2021, Kelley’s doctors agreed it was time to remove the tumor on the right side.

The procedure was risky, but necessary, and Kelley remained optimistic leading up to the surgery. However, during surgery, the doctors discovered the tumor was deeply entwined with her hearing nerve.

On July 28, 2021, after a 12-hour surgery, Kelley woke up deaf.

Losing her hearing has been a life-altering ordeal for Kelley. Yet, she has weathered it with a strength and grace that inspires everyone around her.

Since Kelley lost her hearing in 2021, we have been working with multiple hospitals, doctors and insurance providers to get her approved for an auditory brainstem implant (ABI)—a surgically implanted device that bypasses the inner ear and damaged auditory nerve to deliver sound sensations directly to the brain. ABIs have great success giving people like Kelley a chance to hear again.

After months of calls, visits and tests, we recently got the call that Kelley has been approved for the implant through the House Clinic in Los Angeles!

The team of doctors in Los Angeles are some of the best in the world for this procedure, and we know she will be in great hands there. The surgery is scheduled for March 2, 2023.

This is where we need your help!

The procedure is long and invasive, and the recovery can be lengthy. While Kelley's insurance covers the procedure, out-of-pocket copays and travel expenses for the surgery are very costly. Kelley must stay in Los Angeles for approximately three weeks for the procedure and post operative care. Several family members are flying back and forth to care for Kelley after the surgery until she can travel back home, and Kelley will need to make a return trip to Los Angeles several weeks after the surgery. As you can imagine, the flights, lodging and incidental expenses are adding up quickly.

Those who know Kelley know her family is her life and her grandbabies are her greatest joy. She mentioned to me recently that the hardest part of this whole ordeal is not being able to hear her family say, "I love you" and not being able to fully participate in family functions.

For this, I am humbly asking for your help.

Please help give Kelley the chance to bring some normalcy back into her life. Please give Kelley the chance to hear again.

Thank you.