The saying goes, “It never rains but it pours.” Right now, my family finds itself in a downpour.

We recently experienced back-to-back medical crises involving intensive and long-term care beyond what our insurance will cover and what we can afford to pay for out of pocket.

On March 11th, 2023, my mother, Sara Lee*, was admitted to the hospital after suffering a stroke during an argument with my father and was placed on life support.

Two months later, on May 15th, 2023 and the day after Mother’s Day, my husband, Dana Anderson, suffered severe head trauma from a catastrophic trail biking accident. He fractured his skull in multiple places along with breaking his left clavicle and several ribs. He was placed in a medically-induced coma for a week following an emergency craniectomy to relieve the swelling and bleeding of his brain. My husband was intubated and then needed a tracheostomy tube and a feeding tube for nearly two months.

Dana is currently undergoing therapy focused on rebuilding his cognitive processing and ability to walk. He is dealing with significant pain daily and very limited movement in his left arm from nerve injury due to the clavicle break. The left side of his body is weak from neurological injuries, including his left visual processing, though these are improving slowly. His pre-accident memories seem fairly intact; his post-accident memories are still erratic though slowly improving. He requires assistance while walking with a walker or cane and has limited mobility with a wheelchair. He has to wear a helmet until his cranioplasty as his right brain is vulnerable to injury without the bone for protection. He is easily fatigued from periods of visual, physical and/or cognitive stimulation. While these mark positive developments in his recovery, he will need to continue nearly a year of physical therapy and rehabilitation thereafter.

My mother also remains in a skilled care facility where she also breathes through a trach tube, is fed through a feeding tube and must have assistance to walk. Her current mental condition is fragile as she undergoes psychiatric therapy for both domestic abuse and medical PTSD. She has confirmed onset of dementia as well.

Although both are recovering, they face long paths of rehabilitation. As a stay-at-home mother to three small children ages 8 thru 12, two of whom have special needs, I am stretched thin both emotionally and financially. The life-saving care that both my mother and husband continue to receive has been phenomenal. It does, however, come at a cost and has been pushing my family steadily into debt. My mother's attorney and medical needs, for example, had already placed enough of a burden on us that the day after my husband's accident, our mortgage payment overdrew against the bank. Dana's out-of-pocket responsibilities for his medical bills continue to mount. Insurance is refusing to cover as much of his outpatient therapy as possible by labeling most activities "not medically necessary". His workplace disability benefits only provide a portion of his normal take-home pay and is severely insufficient.

It is difficult for me to ask for help in this way, but if ever there was a time to do so, that time is now.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading this. I will be grateful for anything that you are willing to offer.

Please share with friends and family. Every little bit helps.

*An alias is being used for my mother while she is under Adult Protective Services for reasons related to the threat of abuse.