Help Terri Hill's family care for her in Savannah
Donation protected
The Backstory
My aunt Terri Hill (my mom’s sister) has been in the hospital in Savannah, Georgia, since June 2nd. She fell very ill the day after her daughter's wedding in Savannah (the picture below is of her watching the ceremony) and was taken to the ER by ambulance that night. The next day she was diagnosed with autoimmune hemolytic anemia, a rare disease where your antibodies prematurely destroy your red blood cells. A normal hemoglobin level is around 12; this disease has made Terri’s level as low as 3. There is a high survival rate but Terri has an extremely severe case and her body is not responding to the treatments as quickly as we had hoped. Terri lives in Southern California and we were hoping she’d respond to the treatment quickly so we could get her home, but unfortunately that’s not been the case.
The Treatment
The initial treatment of steroids and blood transfusions failed to work on their own, so two weeks ago they started her on a drug called Rituxan, which targets the antibodies that are destroying the blood cells. This is a very strong drug and infusions have to be spaced a week apart. The first infusion brought her hemoglobin levels up to almost 8 but a few days later they dipped again. (The doctors want her hemoglobin level to be stable for 3-4 days before allowing her to travel so she can get home.) She had her second Rituxan infusion this week and we were really hoping this would do the trick, but her numbers are falling again and she’s now at 5.8. She is not stable enough to be moved so the only thing to do for now is give her more Rituxan next Monday and to hope that it works. We are currently in week 3, and depending on how she responds to the Rituxan next week, she could be in the hospital for several more weeks.
The Reason
I'm asking for help because none of us live in Savannah and it's becoming extremely expensive for our family members who are staying there or traveling to help take care of her.
I am seeking help to cover some of the costs of hotels, rental cars, meals, and airfare for those who are helping care for her during this incredibly difficult time. We would be incredibly grateful for any donations or sharing of this link.
We just want her to get better and for everyone to come home, and your generous donations will help alleviate some stress in this extremely stressful situation.
Thank you so much,
The O'Dell and Hill families
My aunt Terri Hill (my mom’s sister) has been in the hospital in Savannah, Georgia, since June 2nd. She fell very ill the day after her daughter's wedding in Savannah (the picture below is of her watching the ceremony) and was taken to the ER by ambulance that night. The next day she was diagnosed with autoimmune hemolytic anemia, a rare disease where your antibodies prematurely destroy your red blood cells. A normal hemoglobin level is around 12; this disease has made Terri’s level as low as 3. There is a high survival rate but Terri has an extremely severe case and her body is not responding to the treatments as quickly as we had hoped. Terri lives in Southern California and we were hoping she’d respond to the treatment quickly so we could get her home, but unfortunately that’s not been the case.
The Treatment
The initial treatment of steroids and blood transfusions failed to work on their own, so two weeks ago they started her on a drug called Rituxan, which targets the antibodies that are destroying the blood cells. This is a very strong drug and infusions have to be spaced a week apart. The first infusion brought her hemoglobin levels up to almost 8 but a few days later they dipped again. (The doctors want her hemoglobin level to be stable for 3-4 days before allowing her to travel so she can get home.) She had her second Rituxan infusion this week and we were really hoping this would do the trick, but her numbers are falling again and she’s now at 5.8. She is not stable enough to be moved so the only thing to do for now is give her more Rituxan next Monday and to hope that it works. We are currently in week 3, and depending on how she responds to the Rituxan next week, she could be in the hospital for several more weeks.
The Reason
I'm asking for help because none of us live in Savannah and it's becoming extremely expensive for our family members who are staying there or traveling to help take care of her.
I am seeking help to cover some of the costs of hotels, rental cars, meals, and airfare for those who are helping care for her during this incredibly difficult time. We would be incredibly grateful for any donations or sharing of this link.
We just want her to get better and for everyone to come home, and your generous donations will help alleviate some stress in this extremely stressful situation.
Thank you so much,
The O'Dell and Hill families
Organizer
Meghan O'Dell
Organizer
Long Beach, CA