Hi! My name is Kristen, I am creating this Gofundme to help my nephew (Vinny) and my mother (Lisa, she raises him) pay for medical bills and other necessities. Let me start by telling you about the events that have happened in their lives to lead me to create this fundraiser.

In late November Vinny (14 years old), started experiencing intense stomach pain. My mom took him to the doctor who thought it could be Strep Throat because he had seen a lot of children coming in with Strep Throat who also have bad stomach pain. They tested him and sure enough, he tested positive for Strep. Even though he did not have any throat pain, they gave him antibiotics and said he should feel better within 2 weeks.

2 weeks came and went, but the stomach pain just kept getting worse to the point that Vinny could not eat, he could not drink, and he couldn't stand up. My mom took him back to the doctor who tested him again for Strep, this time he was negative. My mom told the doctor she was concerned it could be Appendicitis to which the doctor replied, that it couldn't be his Appendix because Vinny was having pain all over his stomach, not in the usual one spot Appendecitits pain would show up. Then they did an X-ray and said, he's just constipated. They told my mom to give him Miralax, enemas and suppositories.

My mom did as the doctor had asked, but a week went by and Vinny was even worse, now with fevers, intense stomach pain, bed sores, and significant weight loss. My mom called the doctor and informed him that she was very concerned that she was pretty certain it was his Appendix, she requested an ultrasound be done to which the doctor replied that he would not order one. He informed my mother that she was being ridiculous and exaggerating and that Vinny was just being dramatic and making it up.

Finally, my mom had enough and took him to the hospital. They did a CT scan and saw he had a huge blockage in his intestines. They sent him to Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse, NY to have emergency surgery. The surgery happened early the following day after they stabilized him.

No one was prepared for what would unfold. When the surgeons cut him open, before even pulling his skin aside, the abscess that had grown in his stomach burst out (in the words of one of the surgeons "like a geyser up to the ceiling"). In all of his years, he had never seen anything like it. Upon further research, they discovered that all of his internal organs were infected because of a watermelon-sized abscess in his stomach which had been present in his body since late November. They also discovered that Vinny no longer had an appendix. Vinny was hours from dying.

The abscess that was in Vinny's stomach had started because of Appendicitis and had completely enveloped his Appendics which in the long run saved his life. Because his Appendicitis was occurring for so long without treatment when his Appendix exploded, the abscess consumed it which saved his life and is the reason for the Abscess geyser during surgery.

When Vinny was sent home, he had an open stomach wound from surgery. My mom (who is an LPN) was instructed to clean the wound a few times a day and then pack it every time with gauze until the wound had healed. Vinny was home for maybe a week when he would burp, his wound would gargle, he was having a lot of pain again, his wound started to smell and then there started to be brown stuff coming out of it.

Back to the ER in Syracuse, they went just to find out that there was a second abscess that had developed, a bit smaller this time (the size of a basketball). They also discovered that he had a hole somewhere in his bowels which was then leaking out of his wound (that was the brown stuff coming out of his wound). Vinny was scared the first time but by this time he was terrified and exhausted (as was my mom).

They took days to decide what the best resolution for him would be because his stomach and organs were so infected. They decided the best resolution would be to do another surgery to insert a wound pump going through his right butt cheek into his stomach to slowly remove the abscess. They also decide a picc line was needed in his chest to provide him with protein. Since being sick he had dropped from his original weight of 125 pounds to 93 pounds in a matter of weeks. And he was still losing weight. He wasn't allowed to eat food at the time, even though he was starving, because the hole in his bowels (they wouldn't be able to find until they cleared the abscess) would make the feces come out of his wound again. They started him on Ensure because it had 30 grams of protein and were also giving him protein through the picc line. Soon they discovered he wasn't receiving enough protein and was continuing to lose weight. They could not increase the protein in the picc line again so they decided they needed him to eat and they would just need to monitor him.

My mom started to make him all of his favorite meals, taking them to the hospital and putting them in the refrigerator for him so the nurses could give them to him. Vinny was eating well for a while but then he started to slow down. He lost weight again, would only eat grapes, and his stomach started to gargle again (which is a sign of another abscess being formed) but even despite this, Vinny was released from the hospital today, against the surgeon's wishes, against my mom's wishes. All because the insurance wouldn't pay anymore during that stay. Vinny had been in the hospital this time for 3 weeks.

The surgeon said, next time this happens (not if it happens again, but when), bring him right back into Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital, which is 3 hours from where they live.

I'm worried for my nephew, who has had a hard life during his 14 years of life and is on the autistic spectrum. I am worried that he is going to lose his great sense of humor, and his inquisitiveness, and he could even lose his life. He will most likely be held back a year since he has missed school since mid-November. He will not be in the same grade as his friends any longer.

I am worried about my mom, who has not been able to work since late November because she has been taking care of Vinny. She also raises my 3 nieces and has unfortunately (10 years old, 6 years old & 6 years old) had to be away from them all this time to care for Vinny. In addition to worrying about Vinny, she has had to worry about somehow paying the mortgage, the bills, food and the girls getting to and from school.

I am upset that all of this could have been resolved when my mom first brought her concerns up to the doctor about Appendicitis but he had tunnel vision and just knew he was right. I'm upset that my mom was shamed for trying to advocate for Vinny and I am upset that Vinny was victim shamed and made to feel like he was making it up.

#1 - Thank you for reading this long post!

#2 - Please pray for Vinny, my mom and the girls!

#3 - If you feel called, PLEASE PLEASE consider to donate to my mom and Vinny.