Help Kelly just as she has done for so many of us

If you know my mom, Kelly Simpson, you know that she would give someone the shirt off her back if they needed it. She has selflessly given so much to so many people - whether it is the sacrifices to make sure the six of us kids have had everything we need to survive, being a rock for her extended family, as a coworker and manager, or helping her countless patients and their families in hospice care. The other thing you would know is that my mom does not ask for help. Thankfully she raised kids, that like her, would do anything for each other. And I'm not afraid to rally the troops for her.

As some of you may know, and many probably don't because she has been suffering quietly, my mom has been dealing with the effects of Long Covid. In the past year, she went from running a marathon, attending concerts, wrangling the grand kids, and working her ass off through the pandemic. That is, until she got COVID. For almost a year, we have watched as long covid has taken over her ability to do daily tasks, being at the job she loves, and even being able to make the drive to see her grandkids. Unfortunately, her health issues have caught up to her and she had to make the decision to leave her job as a Hospice Nurse manager. She also has to leave the place she has called home for over 7 years to be closer to family. With losing her job, she is losing her insurance, her car, and income.

We do have good news! She has been accepted into Mayo Clinic's Long Covid clinic, and we are praying that this specialized clinic will bring us closer to the answers she needs to get through this. Unfortunately, with losing her insurance the numerous prescription medicines she is already on will become too expensive very quickly. Add on top of that travel and hotels to and from Mayo, she is already feeling defeated about the cost of getting better.

This money will help pay for travel and medical expenses, moving expenses to be closer to home, and give her some peace of mind that allows her to focus on healing. I will include her story below to demonstrate just how hard daily life for her has been. If you have the ability to help "Grandma Jelly", we would appreciate it more than you know. If not, please send her some good vibes - we want our Grandma Jelly and Mom back.

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Kelly contracted COVID in July, but they believe it may have been the second time she caught it but didn’t detect the previous symptoms as COVID initially.

In May, she began having extreme stomach pains with transient nausea and diarrhea. This was so persistent that she was unable to eat, had large amounts of blood in her stool, and she rapidly began losing weight. Tests showed severe inflammation in her intestines as well as an inflamed node near her kidney.

In July, she tested positive for COVID (while still dealing with the stomach issues), but she seemed to have a mild case - aside from a debilitating migraine. She passed out twice during this time, and was in and out of the ER trying to manage the pain. This lead to a week long hospital stay with MRI's, CT Scans, and countless tests and procedures. Unfortunately, that pain has not gone away. Symptoms continue to pop up, she can no longer work, continues to have countless tests and scans, visiting the ER and being admitted, and she feels helpless not knowing if this will be her life now.