Kelly's Hole in Her Heart
Donation protected
As most of you will know by now, our friend Kelly had a very unexpected stroke on April 30th. This has led to months of invasive, anxiety inducing tests to try and figure out why. A spinal tap and a 30 day heart monitor thankfully ruled out some terrifying possibilities. It was an ultrasound, finally, that zeroed in on the likely culprit--it showed evidence that Kelly was born with a small hole in her heart, which is called a patent foramen ovale (PFO). Her cryptogenic neurologist believes this is the most likely cause for her stroke, as she is young and healthy, and her cardiologist agrees.
Extended hospital stays, tests, specialists, procedures and now an operation is all adding up to some hefty medical bills, not to mention fatigue, overwhelm, and stress. Y’all, Kelly needs our help and support. She is already $10,000 in the hole from these medical expenditures. We don’t know exactly how much her next heart surgery will cost, but it will push her bills beyond $10,000. Since this number doesn't include losses from missing work, we are choosing $10,000 as a goal, but hoping to keep raising more. Funds exceeding this will help Kelly cover heart surgery costs and offset her inability to work.
This is a call for assistance. If you are able, please consider donating some money to help support our great friend through a tough time. Please if you have capacity, donate, pass along to friends and share. Kelly is having an important surgery on August 23 to close the hole in her heart, and prevent further strokes. We need to rally around our buddy, and help support her so she can get the rest she needs post-operation: to help her get her life back on track and moving forward.
If you know Kelly, then she has certainly organized a show or benefit or fest that you’ve played at or attended. She’s told you all the best jokes when you’re crying on the curb, she’s had your back when you needed it most, she’s given you snacks and hugs and gifts and made your errand into the most fun afternoon. And she would never ask for your help.
During the last few months, Kelly has tried to maintain business as usual. She’s self-employed and her clients rely on her alone. She’s been trying to keep up with cleaning houses for her many clients, making beautiful jewelry, doing markets, and trying her best to get shit done. But depression and fatigue are very common side effects of a stroke, and can last for several months. This fatigue has floored her. It's a massive adjustment for Kelly, who has always been a healthy energetic person, to have to ration her energy so she won't run out. And a lot of days she has ran out despite her best efforts. This has limited the amount of work that she can get done, which in turn is leading to more anxiety and depression.
On top of it all, every new procedure and hospital visit is creating a massive build up of anxiety for Kelly, which means life has become really hard to manage.
The next necessary procedure, the PFO closure, is on the morning of August 23rd. Kelly will need ample time to rest to give her heart a chance to adjust to the PFO catheter implant. Unfortunately resting means missing a lot more work, and falling further behind on medical bills. With any luck, after a successful implant, life will resume better and more emboldened.
Please give what you can, share this fundraiser with other buddies, and send Kelly some support.
Extended hospital stays, tests, specialists, procedures and now an operation is all adding up to some hefty medical bills, not to mention fatigue, overwhelm, and stress. Y’all, Kelly needs our help and support. She is already $10,000 in the hole from these medical expenditures. We don’t know exactly how much her next heart surgery will cost, but it will push her bills beyond $10,000. Since this number doesn't include losses from missing work, we are choosing $10,000 as a goal, but hoping to keep raising more. Funds exceeding this will help Kelly cover heart surgery costs and offset her inability to work.
This is a call for assistance. If you are able, please consider donating some money to help support our great friend through a tough time. Please if you have capacity, donate, pass along to friends and share. Kelly is having an important surgery on August 23 to close the hole in her heart, and prevent further strokes. We need to rally around our buddy, and help support her so she can get the rest she needs post-operation: to help her get her life back on track and moving forward.
If you know Kelly, then she has certainly organized a show or benefit or fest that you’ve played at or attended. She’s told you all the best jokes when you’re crying on the curb, she’s had your back when you needed it most, she’s given you snacks and hugs and gifts and made your errand into the most fun afternoon. And she would never ask for your help.
During the last few months, Kelly has tried to maintain business as usual. She’s self-employed and her clients rely on her alone. She’s been trying to keep up with cleaning houses for her many clients, making beautiful jewelry, doing markets, and trying her best to get shit done. But depression and fatigue are very common side effects of a stroke, and can last for several months. This fatigue has floored her. It's a massive adjustment for Kelly, who has always been a healthy energetic person, to have to ration her energy so she won't run out. And a lot of days she has ran out despite her best efforts. This has limited the amount of work that she can get done, which in turn is leading to more anxiety and depression.
On top of it all, every new procedure and hospital visit is creating a massive build up of anxiety for Kelly, which means life has become really hard to manage.
The next necessary procedure, the PFO closure, is on the morning of August 23rd. Kelly will need ample time to rest to give her heart a chance to adjust to the PFO catheter implant. Unfortunately resting means missing a lot more work, and falling further behind on medical bills. With any luck, after a successful implant, life will resume better and more emboldened.
Please give what you can, share this fundraiser with other buddies, and send Kelly some support.
Fundraising team (2)
V Adams
Organizer
Pittsburgh, PA
Kelly Hulsman
Beneficiary
Zibby Jahns
Team member
