Margaret's Covid Costs
Donation protected
Margaret and her husband Don entered the Hospital in Modesto, CA together the first week of July of 2020 with COVID. Margaret was put on a ventilator the day after her birthday and never saw Don again as she was sedated to save her life. Don was moved to an Acute Care Hospital to open up beds at the Memorial Hospital. He seemed to be getting better but was subsequently rushed to Stanford Medical Hospital in Palo Alto, CA. Then Don took a turn for the worse and all the fine medical staff there could not save him. The family had to make the heart wrenching decision to let him pass without Margaret knowing as she was still heavily sedated.
The next month was a constant battle for Margaret with daily, if not hourly, phone consults with her doctors and nurses... last rights were administered from the hallway of the hospital...for our approval of blood transfusions, invasive procedures and medicine changes as the COVID virus attacked different parts of her body. 6 weeks later ICU COVID hospital beds were needed so she was moved to an Acute Care Hospital as some doctors beleived she was beyond survival while others protected her life...How did we know what to do when making medical decissions from 900 miles away. The Acute Care Hospital wanted her moved out to make room for other patients so she was moved to All Saints Sub Acute Care Hospital in San Leandro, CA over an hour away from home.
What a blessing All Saints was. The staff and administration took Marageret's care seriously and was moved off of the ventilator and on to a Trach Tube but still on a feeding tube. The staff worked daily with Margaret and she began to improve. She could not breath on her own so the Trach could be removed. Her appointments with specialists to remove the scarring from the ventilator was put off for 4 months due to the surge of COVID in late 2020. She was slowly being weaned to room air and physical therapy allowed here to walk and finally surgery was done to remove the scar tissue that was preventing her from breathing on her own. A successful surgery allowed the hospital to remove her Trach Tube and feeding tubes. AND, now 9 months after entering the hospital with her husband she will be leaving next week to begin her home recovery without her beloved Don.
Margaret will be faced with lingering side effects to her kindneys and heart not to mention the emotional event of putting her husband of 30 years to rest. While most of her medical bills are covered there are many that are not...she is faced with the cost of returning home to Modesto from San Leandro, CA which is not paid for by insurance. She has no family or close friends that drive to take her home. It was estimated at close to $500 to have her transported from All Saints to her home. In additon, there as not enough money in Don's meager funeral fund for his funeral costs.
Margaret now lives on Social Security that is minimal as she work ed most of her adult life at fast food resturants and since her husband passed away she has lost one other income from Social Security. She has two adult son's who are learning disabled with one son who lives at home and is working two part time days a week at another fast food resturant. They're in need of support to set up Margaret's home health needs and ongoing medical treatments that may not be paid by Medicare as well as Don's funeral expenses.
Margaret will be discharged from All Saints on Weds May 26th so the imediate need of transportation funds and home health aides are needed immediately and the setting up of Don's funeral. Any amount of contribution would be appreciated.
The next month was a constant battle for Margaret with daily, if not hourly, phone consults with her doctors and nurses... last rights were administered from the hallway of the hospital...for our approval of blood transfusions, invasive procedures and medicine changes as the COVID virus attacked different parts of her body. 6 weeks later ICU COVID hospital beds were needed so she was moved to an Acute Care Hospital as some doctors beleived she was beyond survival while others protected her life...How did we know what to do when making medical decissions from 900 miles away. The Acute Care Hospital wanted her moved out to make room for other patients so she was moved to All Saints Sub Acute Care Hospital in San Leandro, CA over an hour away from home.
What a blessing All Saints was. The staff and administration took Marageret's care seriously and was moved off of the ventilator and on to a Trach Tube but still on a feeding tube. The staff worked daily with Margaret and she began to improve. She could not breath on her own so the Trach could be removed. Her appointments with specialists to remove the scarring from the ventilator was put off for 4 months due to the surge of COVID in late 2020. She was slowly being weaned to room air and physical therapy allowed here to walk and finally surgery was done to remove the scar tissue that was preventing her from breathing on her own. A successful surgery allowed the hospital to remove her Trach Tube and feeding tubes. AND, now 9 months after entering the hospital with her husband she will be leaving next week to begin her home recovery without her beloved Don.
Margaret will be faced with lingering side effects to her kindneys and heart not to mention the emotional event of putting her husband of 30 years to rest. While most of her medical bills are covered there are many that are not...she is faced with the cost of returning home to Modesto from San Leandro, CA which is not paid for by insurance. She has no family or close friends that drive to take her home. It was estimated at close to $500 to have her transported from All Saints to her home. In additon, there as not enough money in Don's meager funeral fund for his funeral costs.
Margaret now lives on Social Security that is minimal as she work ed most of her adult life at fast food resturants and since her husband passed away she has lost one other income from Social Security. She has two adult son's who are learning disabled with one son who lives at home and is working two part time days a week at another fast food resturant. They're in need of support to set up Margaret's home health needs and ongoing medical treatments that may not be paid by Medicare as well as Don's funeral expenses.
Margaret will be discharged from All Saints on Weds May 26th so the imediate need of transportation funds and home health aides are needed immediately and the setting up of Don's funeral. Any amount of contribution would be appreciated.
Organizer
Jeffery Hess
Organizer
Nampa, ID
