STACI’S CATASTROPHIC MEDICAL JOURNEY – I NEED IMMEDIATE HELP TO SURVIVE

My friends and neighbors...I never imagined I would be in this position. Right now, I am absolutely penniless and at risk of losing the only home that accommodates my disability. If I lose my home, I don’t have the physical ability to relocate or survive elsewhere. I am extremely weak. I am actively trying to get help, but the system is slow, denials and I do not have time. This fundraiser is truly about survival. My life changed forever just after my 13th birthday. That morning, I made the All-Star Softball Team. That night, I was dragged down I-75 in a catastrophic accident. Two years later, I was struck by another car. Both drivers were uninsured. Since then, I’ve endured a lifetime of unimaginable medical trauma: over 70 surgeries, 700+ days hospitalized, 15 broken bones, months in traction, and eventually an above-knee amputation after years of unbearable pain. My injuries include a shattered pelvis, broken in 6 places and completely separated, Femur Shattered, degloving injury, body can't cool itself. I live with excruciating phantom limb pain but it has recently changed. It's called telescoping and it's considered one of the most brutal pain there is and it's hard to treat. Sciatica along with dangerous overheating episodes that make even basic tasks unsafe. I can't go anywhere and I'm confined to the bedroom for almost 6 months because of no central air I was thrust into poverty overnight due to my medical condition. Broke my back in 3 places last September. I urgently need help to save my wheelchair-accessible home from foreclosure, cover basic survival needs (food, utilities, medical care), I'm severely behind on utilities and can't access television for comfort and distraction. Nor access critical pain therapies not covered by insurance. My home environment is currently seriously uncomfortable due to failing air conditioning, which worsens my condition dramatically. I am trying to access treatments that could reduce my suffering, including outpatient IV therapy, inpatient ketamine treatment, advanced nerve therapies, and neurological interventions. These are not luxuries—they are my only hope for relief. I must endure the horrible withdrawal from certain medications. Never had addiction nor do I drink.

What I’ve Endured:

•70+ surgeries

•700+ days as an inpatient

•15 broken bones

•4 months in traction in the Burn Unit

•3 daily dressing changes that left me terrified and traumatized

•3 Cross Foot Flaps (bedridden & hospitalized 3.5 months+ 2 more months of PT for each)

•Heel Cord Lengthening

•Severe PTSD and Anxiety

•Scoliosis & Degenerative Disc Disease

•Rhabdomyolysis (muscle wasting)

•Dental implant nightmare/Severe Dry

Mouth

•Code Blue (2001)

•Toe Tagged (2009) Due to Medical Communication Errors

•Severe overheating from Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction & medications

•Excruciating Phantom Limb Pain & Sciatica

•Serotonin Syndrome

•10 Surgeries To Place Gortex Over The Fascia Which Was All Torn Away

…and so much more.

I’ve spent decades in pain, trauma, rehabilitation and uncertainty—but I refuse to let it define me. Lately I cry everyday and without your help I won't survive. This is very serious. Thank you for your time and consideration.

It is incredibly hard to share this publicly, but I am fighting every day to survive. Saving my home means saving my life. If you can, please donate, share my fundraiser, or send words of encouragement. Every bit of support helps me fight for my home and my life. With gratitude and hope, Staci.