Kathy Farmer Boating Accident
Donation protected
Kathy is a vivacious, active woman whose greatest joy is in her grand nephews and grand niece. She has worked as an IT specialist for the federal government for 31 years. She loves to read, and listens to a wide range of musical genres, from bluegrass to opera. Kathy writes a great deal, and frequently engages in online debates. Perhaps her favorite thing to do is to photograph the wild birds she feeds, or to take her camera to a local lake, an arboretum, or a wildlife preserve to shoot just about everything she sees. She loves her family, her wife Kim, and her life.
The Injury
On Saturday, August 22, Kathy was with friends on a boat on the Choptank River in Cambridge, Maryland. As they docked at a restaurant for lunch, Kathy stepped from the boat onto the dock -- but the boat moved, and Kathy fell into the river, hitting her head on the dock. She suffered a severe head wound.
Kathy was airlifted to University of Maryland Shock Trauma in Baltimore. There, the doctors performed a CT scan, which was negative, and closed the wound with 21 staples. They sent her home that night, to Kathy's & Kim's great surprise, given the severity of the injury.
The Complications
At about 3:00 am, Kim took Kathy to the emergency room because her head was still bleeding. The doctor there discovered that they missed a portion of the wound in Baltimore, and he closed it with sutures.
On Monday night, Kathy started running a fever. Kim monitored her temperature through the night, and it kept rising. She called Kathy’s doctor first thing Tuesday morning, and was told to get Kathy to the emergency room. There, the doctor talked to the folks back at Shock Trauma and was told to send Kathy back to them in Baltimore.
In Shock Trauma once again, it was discovered that Kathy’s injury had become badly infected. They performed surgery to clean the wound thoroughly, then closed it properly with 47 sutures. They kept Kathy at the hospital for four days, giving her massive doses of antibiotics night and day, as the infection had spread throughout her body. While in the hospital, Kathy learned that she had a concussion -- something that no one had mentioned before. She was discharged from the hospital one week after the accident.
Post-Hospital Treatment Begins
In the following weeks, Kathy had further testing, and several appointments with her PCP, a neurologist, and an ophthalmologist. Due to the concussion, Kathy has a severe and constant headache, double vision, chronic fatigue, insomnia, and difficulty concentrating or focusing for more than a few minutes at a time. Her work requires a considerable amount of concentration and is quite stressful. Those requirements place a great deal of pressure on her, and the result is that her injury will take longer to heal.
The Effects of the Accident
The complications from the concussion have rendered Kathy unable to work. Because she underwent major surgery last year that kept her out of work for six weeks, and due to the deaths of both of her parents last year, she exhausted her leave and is now on leave without pay. The federal government does not provide disability insurance to its employees.
According to her doctors, there is no way to tell when the symptoms will subside and when she can return to work. With Kim unemployed, and with nothing to fall back on, they are wondering how they’re going to pay the mortgage, the bills, the grocer, etc.
Any donation you might make would be greatly appreciated and would take a huge weight off Kathy's shoulders, allowing her to concentrate on her recovery. Thank you.
The Injury
On Saturday, August 22, Kathy was with friends on a boat on the Choptank River in Cambridge, Maryland. As they docked at a restaurant for lunch, Kathy stepped from the boat onto the dock -- but the boat moved, and Kathy fell into the river, hitting her head on the dock. She suffered a severe head wound.
Kathy was airlifted to University of Maryland Shock Trauma in Baltimore. There, the doctors performed a CT scan, which was negative, and closed the wound with 21 staples. They sent her home that night, to Kathy's & Kim's great surprise, given the severity of the injury.
The Complications
At about 3:00 am, Kim took Kathy to the emergency room because her head was still bleeding. The doctor there discovered that they missed a portion of the wound in Baltimore, and he closed it with sutures.
On Monday night, Kathy started running a fever. Kim monitored her temperature through the night, and it kept rising. She called Kathy’s doctor first thing Tuesday morning, and was told to get Kathy to the emergency room. There, the doctor talked to the folks back at Shock Trauma and was told to send Kathy back to them in Baltimore.
In Shock Trauma once again, it was discovered that Kathy’s injury had become badly infected. They performed surgery to clean the wound thoroughly, then closed it properly with 47 sutures. They kept Kathy at the hospital for four days, giving her massive doses of antibiotics night and day, as the infection had spread throughout her body. While in the hospital, Kathy learned that she had a concussion -- something that no one had mentioned before. She was discharged from the hospital one week after the accident.
Post-Hospital Treatment Begins
In the following weeks, Kathy had further testing, and several appointments with her PCP, a neurologist, and an ophthalmologist. Due to the concussion, Kathy has a severe and constant headache, double vision, chronic fatigue, insomnia, and difficulty concentrating or focusing for more than a few minutes at a time. Her work requires a considerable amount of concentration and is quite stressful. Those requirements place a great deal of pressure on her, and the result is that her injury will take longer to heal.
The Effects of the Accident
The complications from the concussion have rendered Kathy unable to work. Because she underwent major surgery last year that kept her out of work for six weeks, and due to the deaths of both of her parents last year, she exhausted her leave and is now on leave without pay. The federal government does not provide disability insurance to its employees.
According to her doctors, there is no way to tell when the symptoms will subside and when she can return to work. With Kim unemployed, and with nothing to fall back on, they are wondering how they’re going to pay the mortgage, the bills, the grocer, etc.
Any donation you might make would be greatly appreciated and would take a huge weight off Kathy's shoulders, allowing her to concentrate on her recovery. Thank you.
Organizer and beneficiary
Lisa Ealley
Organizer
College Park, MD
Kimberly Heidebrecht
Beneficiary