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Hi everyone. My name is Kelly Whyman and we are working to help raise funds to support the extraordinary medical circumstances of my niece, Karen. Here is some background on Karen's condition in her mother's words from a recent social media post:
"Our daughter, Karen Elsie, was born on Nov. 18th, 2020, and diagnosed with FATCO. There was a moment before her birth when the ultrasound tech caught a glimpse of her hand and informed me something looked funny, but she was unable to confirm and told me not to worry about it, so I didn't. It wasn't until she was born that we knew exactly what was going on. Karen has two missing fingers, a missing toe, a missing fibula, and a curved tibia resulting in differing leg lengths as well as fused fingers and toes. While we are no strangers to different abilities (my husband is Deaf, my nephew and brother are on the autism spectrum, and both my husband and I have worked extensively with differently-abled people), this still came as a surprise. Now, we move forward, making sure she knows how much she is loved and that Karen can do anything she wants in life. So, a warm hello to all of you from us and our little Karen."
So this means that Karen, at just over two years old, has already undergone multiple surgical procedures and will have had many more surgeries by the time she is 16 years old. Karen has also been fitted with orthopedic devices and undergone many hours of therapy, which will continue to be a big part of her growing-up years.
As you can imagine, there is a heavy impact on Karen's parents. Already, the family's savings have been depleted with medical costs and costs of living associated with Karen's care that medical insurance does not cover. But we can help!
Here is a brief rundown of immediate and future needs:
- 3 surgeries completed so far - finger separation, super ankle, and wire removal.
- Depleted savings to date and Covid has affected parents' ability to work
- Current needs are estimated at over 15,000 to prepare for 1st leg lengthening procedure (date TBD) and upcoming tendon surgery April 15th with after care and therapy.
- Out of pocket expenses include: insurance deductibles, medications, bandages, modified clothing, shoes, AFO, orthopedic/assistive devices
- The long-term needs estimate is 80,000-100,000 for future surgeries (maybe as many as ten), aftercare, therapy, etc.
Our goal here is to get started on helping with immediate financial needs and begin preparing for the road ahead. We would be more than grateful for any donation you can make as well as for sharing Karen's story with your friends and loved ones!
Organizer and beneficiary
Jennifer Whyman
Beneficiary