Manddi's Miracle
Donation protected
Hi! My name is Manddi, and in 2017 I experienced the biggest set of changes of my life.
In January I, like the rest of the world, faced the New Year with hope and exciting plans. My husband and I wanted to start a family, lose weight, graduate, and start the next chapter of our lives.
I was set to graduate school in February and begin my career as an Advanced Esthetician. We were gonna get healthy, move up the social ladder, have a baby, and even go on a cruise.
On January 23rd I was heading to pick up my husband from work when I was hit by an intoxicated driver. I injured my left shoulder. I never fully recovered full use of my left arm. Particularly my shoulder and hand.
Still, we pressed on. I graduated with honors, and got a life changing job as an Esthetician. It seemed like our happy ending; our future was set!
But it wasn't to be. My left arm and shoulder continued to worsen, and I started to lose the use of both hands. My legs soon followed, forcing me to use a walker at this young age. My employer was kind to me, but after two months, my worsening condition made it dangerous to both myself and my clients to continue on. I had to move on from my dream job.
Over the course of the next six months, the doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me. They couldn't explain why I was in pain, why I had become confined to a wheelchair, why my speech had become slurred and disjointed even though my mind is still here.
Until a month or so ago, they had all but given up on me, when the wonderful doctors at UC had a breakthrough, one that would name this demon plauging me: ALS.
I am not going to recover. I will never be an Esthetician, and my husband, his amazing parents with whom we live, as well as my loving family, will have to change our life plans. I'm finding new joy, as an artist, as a Christian, and as part of this family, but we need help.
Our home is not set up to accomodate my special needs. We need to install a shower that is accesible to me so that I can bathe daily. I need a new bed that can help me rise up on my own, rather than being painfully lifted by my husband. I need a lift chair so I can do more than sit for hours in the chair in which I was left. We need to add a door to the outside onto my room, as well as an electric wheelchair and a new walker, so I can leave the house and have more independance; oh, how I'd love to tie my doggos' leashes to an electric wheelchair and take them for a walk through the neighborhood! If possible, I'd also like a van, to better transport me to the doctors, therapy, and church.
If you can help, no donation is too small. If not, I'd appreciate your prayers.
Thank you for listening.
In January I, like the rest of the world, faced the New Year with hope and exciting plans. My husband and I wanted to start a family, lose weight, graduate, and start the next chapter of our lives.
I was set to graduate school in February and begin my career as an Advanced Esthetician. We were gonna get healthy, move up the social ladder, have a baby, and even go on a cruise.
On January 23rd I was heading to pick up my husband from work when I was hit by an intoxicated driver. I injured my left shoulder. I never fully recovered full use of my left arm. Particularly my shoulder and hand.
Still, we pressed on. I graduated with honors, and got a life changing job as an Esthetician. It seemed like our happy ending; our future was set!
But it wasn't to be. My left arm and shoulder continued to worsen, and I started to lose the use of both hands. My legs soon followed, forcing me to use a walker at this young age. My employer was kind to me, but after two months, my worsening condition made it dangerous to both myself and my clients to continue on. I had to move on from my dream job.
Over the course of the next six months, the doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me. They couldn't explain why I was in pain, why I had become confined to a wheelchair, why my speech had become slurred and disjointed even though my mind is still here.
Until a month or so ago, they had all but given up on me, when the wonderful doctors at UC had a breakthrough, one that would name this demon plauging me: ALS.
I am not going to recover. I will never be an Esthetician, and my husband, his amazing parents with whom we live, as well as my loving family, will have to change our life plans. I'm finding new joy, as an artist, as a Christian, and as part of this family, but we need help.
Our home is not set up to accomodate my special needs. We need to install a shower that is accesible to me so that I can bathe daily. I need a new bed that can help me rise up on my own, rather than being painfully lifted by my husband. I need a lift chair so I can do more than sit for hours in the chair in which I was left. We need to add a door to the outside onto my room, as well as an electric wheelchair and a new walker, so I can leave the house and have more independance; oh, how I'd love to tie my doggos' leashes to an electric wheelchair and take them for a walk through the neighborhood! If possible, I'd also like a van, to better transport me to the doctors, therapy, and church.
If you can help, no donation is too small. If not, I'd appreciate your prayers.
Thank you for listening.
Organizer
Manddi McDonald
Organizer
Amelia, OH
