Hurricane Harvey Relief
Donation protected
This is a request for HELP for my daughter Jennifer Hurst and her family. (Husband Thomas, daughter Jaydyn 10, sons; Nicholas 13 and Braxton 5 who has learning difficulties). Their house and car were flooded during hurricane HARVEY. This happened in addition to a streak of unexpected serious medical issues they have endured for the past year and half.
In March 2016, after having headaches for several weeks, Jennifer had sharp pounding in her head and went to the Methodist Hospital emergency room. A CAT scan showed that she had a tumor the size of a grapefruit. She was operated on the following morning. The benign tumor was successfully removed and, initially only had numbness in her left hand. Unfortunately this good news was short-lived. Since then Jennifer has undergone many additional surgeries and complications including:
1. 4/28/2016 - Removal of part of her skull due to an infection leaving only scalp and helmet protection.
2. 5/5/2016 -Surgery to place a cerebral shunt to correct ballooning of scalp.
3. 6/16/2016 -Surgery to insert an artificial plate.
4. 7/13/2016 -Surgery to remove the plate due to a staph infection.
5. 10/3/2016 -Surgery for placement of a second artificial plate.
6. 10/31/2016 -Surgery to remove the second plate due to a mold infection from a scalp tear.
7. In December 2016, Jennifer had a major seizure resulting in a loss of movement in her left arm and affected the movement in her left leg leaving her with difficulty walking .
8. In January 2017, Jennifer fell, hitting the back of her head and spraining her left wrist.
She became completely unable to walk and, after a week at Methodist Hospital, she was sent to The Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) for 4 weeks of specialized rehabilitation (wheelchair bound)
9. In February 2017, she spent six months in rehabilitation at Mentis Rehab Facility.
During which she had another surgery on May 2017 to insert a 3rd artificial protective plate.
Thankfully Jennifer has regained the ability to walk, with assistance. She still has numbness in her left hand and a “floating” left eye. She has ongoing home rehabilitation 4 days a week and still requires 24 hour monitoring because of recurring seizures.
In May 2017, her husband Thomas, a million+ dollar seller at Mattress Firm three years in a row, was laid off due to the extensive scheduling conflicts surrounding his wife’s medical issues. He went to work at Mattress One and then Costco (30 hours) and was driving for Uber to help support his family. He has just been hired by Sleep Number.
Additionally, like most other families in their subdivision, the family did not have flood insurance and were only promised $8,000 from FEMA to help rebuild. Repairs are estimated to be around $20,000 to $23,000, not including additional expenses of furniture.
It's been one struggle after another for my daugther and her family over the last two years and the hurricane's effects have only added to their mounting burdens. I am not one to ask for much, but if it is at all possible that you can provide even just a glimmer of hope for Jennifer and her family where I cannot, it would mean the world to us!
Thank you for taking the time to read this family's struggle, for your consideration.
Regards,
Ron Spath
In March 2016, after having headaches for several weeks, Jennifer had sharp pounding in her head and went to the Methodist Hospital emergency room. A CAT scan showed that she had a tumor the size of a grapefruit. She was operated on the following morning. The benign tumor was successfully removed and, initially only had numbness in her left hand. Unfortunately this good news was short-lived. Since then Jennifer has undergone many additional surgeries and complications including:
1. 4/28/2016 - Removal of part of her skull due to an infection leaving only scalp and helmet protection.
2. 5/5/2016 -Surgery to place a cerebral shunt to correct ballooning of scalp.
3. 6/16/2016 -Surgery to insert an artificial plate.
4. 7/13/2016 -Surgery to remove the plate due to a staph infection.
5. 10/3/2016 -Surgery for placement of a second artificial plate.
6. 10/31/2016 -Surgery to remove the second plate due to a mold infection from a scalp tear.
7. In December 2016, Jennifer had a major seizure resulting in a loss of movement in her left arm and affected the movement in her left leg leaving her with difficulty walking .
8. In January 2017, Jennifer fell, hitting the back of her head and spraining her left wrist.
She became completely unable to walk and, after a week at Methodist Hospital, she was sent to The Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) for 4 weeks of specialized rehabilitation (wheelchair bound)
9. In February 2017, she spent six months in rehabilitation at Mentis Rehab Facility.
During which she had another surgery on May 2017 to insert a 3rd artificial protective plate.
Thankfully Jennifer has regained the ability to walk, with assistance. She still has numbness in her left hand and a “floating” left eye. She has ongoing home rehabilitation 4 days a week and still requires 24 hour monitoring because of recurring seizures.
In May 2017, her husband Thomas, a million+ dollar seller at Mattress Firm three years in a row, was laid off due to the extensive scheduling conflicts surrounding his wife’s medical issues. He went to work at Mattress One and then Costco (30 hours) and was driving for Uber to help support his family. He has just been hired by Sleep Number.
Additionally, like most other families in their subdivision, the family did not have flood insurance and were only promised $8,000 from FEMA to help rebuild. Repairs are estimated to be around $20,000 to $23,000, not including additional expenses of furniture.
It's been one struggle after another for my daugther and her family over the last two years and the hurricane's effects have only added to their mounting burdens. I am not one to ask for much, but if it is at all possible that you can provide even just a glimmer of hope for Jennifer and her family where I cannot, it would mean the world to us!
Thank you for taking the time to read this family's struggle, for your consideration.
Regards,
Ron Spath
Organizer and beneficiary
Ron Spath
Organizer
Lamar Terrace, TX
Thomas Jackson
Beneficiary
