Lexy's ER and Surgery Bills

My sister, Lexy Smook, mother of two beautiful children, wife, Army Veteran, and friend to many – is going through a very difficult medical situation.

On Saturday March 18, Lexy underwent an invasive brain surgery to remove a large mass on her brainstem, what they removed was the size of a golf ball, along with a few other smaller masses. The surgery went well, and most of the growths and the main mass were removed. While this is great news, her recovery did not go well.

Throughout the next several days my sister lay in the ICU recovering from this surgery. She did not eat, she could not sleep and the pain was unbearable. The doctors could not figure out why her recovery was not progressing as it should, and thought being home would help her to recover.

On Thursday March 23 Lexy was able to go home, but her recovery did not progress much there either.

Friday night/Saturday morning, things took a turn for the worse. At about 3 a.m. her husband, Chris, went to get her next dose of medication ready. Upon returning to the bedroom, he found his wife was unresponsive and turning colors. Thankfully, he quickly responded getting paramedics to the house by calling 911. She was rushed to the hospital while in and out of consciousness and bleeding internally. 

Once she arrived to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD – she was rushed into the Operating Room where thirteen medical professionals worked on her to stabilize her enough to determine from where she was bleeding. An ulcer just below the stomach had eaten through a large blood vessel in her intestine and caused her to loose a lot of blood. The surgeons ended up performing a surgery to close off the vein and stop the bleeding. She received a total of twelve units of blood to stabilize her system. Due to her physical situation at the time she was given no anesthetic for the surgery. She was held down while they cut into her digestive tract to stop the bleeding. They were able to close off the bleeding and stabilize her. She spent most of Saturday morning with a breathing tube in and family surrounding her. Later on Saturday, the tubes were removed and she was moved to a recovery room.

Sunday, March 26, Lexy seemed to be getting back to her normal self. She was smiling and talking, making jokes and calling her husband names. It was good to see her returning to the Lexy we all know. She is currently recovering at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD and could use your thoughts and prayers.

Family and friends have done an amazing job of supporting her, Chris and the kids through this difficult time. They have brought food, taken care of the kids and assisted getting their home back in order after all of this.

Lexy and her family are well known in the Hills/Luverne area, and she has always been one to help others whenever she can. On behalf of my sister and her family, I am reaching out to the larger community to ask for help. We feel like most of the worries are behind us, but the financial burden of this will be difficult later. Above all your thoughts and prayers will be welcomed, but any help financially be greatly appreciated.