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- My name is Victoria Butterbaugh and I am 38 years old from Waverly, Ohio. I was recently shot by a stray bullet that came through my living room window. The bullet went through my ear and is currently lodged in my jawbone. The trauma surgeon and plastic surgeon are hesitant at this time to remove the bullet due to the risks of paralyzing my entire face because the bullet is lodged in an unusual place. I was told that out of all of the gunshot victims/wounds that they have seen mine is in an area that controls almost of the facial nerves and it's a 60/40 % chance that if they remove the bullet my entire face will be permanently paralyzed. I was also told that I will have hearing loss due to the trauma that my ear and head endured. I have a long road to recovery as I have to wait until the trauma and plastic surgeon are able to find and locate a specialized surgeon who is equipped to remove the lodged bullet. I am enduring excruciating pain on a daily basis, experiencing memory loss, on a soft food only diet because I have limited feeling in the left side of my face, experiencing PTDS with anxiety but what hurts the most is that my children ages 3 & 5 will not be having a Christmas this year because I am not allowed to return to work until after the bullet is removed and have recovered fully recovered because of the seriousness of the incident. The surgeons feel that taking this time to recover while searching for a specialized surgeon is best for my health at this time. I have series of appointments scheduled with the trauma and reconstructive surgeons, ENT physicians, psychological and family doctor appointments that will have me traveling up to 110 miles per way plus overnight stays. Before this tragedy I was barely making ends meet with rent, utilities, doctor appointments out of town for one of my sons who is autistic but also, I am a full-time college student and have to pay for school and now I'm having to pay for mental health counseling. I don't know how I'm going to make ends meet as I am already behind on a few bills and I can't provide even one gift for my children. I don't like asking others for help, but I am reaching out of my comfort zone and asking for help. Please allow me the opportunity to keep a roof over my children's head and so I focus on my recovery while attending appointments. This would be a Christmas miracle for my boys and me!
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