Sheila Lee Surgery

Sheila has a son who is medically complex and requires a good amount of medical care. Most of his specialists are out of state which means they end up having to travel frequently, as often as every week or two, in order to keep him stable and well.

This is her story...... In her words...

They say money doesn’t buy happiness, but I believe not having enough can make it even harder to find.

I’m scheduled to have surgery in early August. Something that’s seen by most as purely cosmetic. An abdominoplasty, otherwise known as a tummy tuck. Problem is, I’m not doing it for cosmetic reasons. I seriously cannot strengthen my core as it is now. Haven’t been able to since I had a c-section when Sam was born. Didn’t matter so much back then, but it’s getting to the point where that specific lack of strength is beginning to affect my ability to care for my son.

Sam is almost 6’2 now, and he’s still growing. Its getting harder for me to support him when he walks, help him up when he falls, or needs to get up from a sitting position.

When we fly to Seattle, it’s always just the two of us. I’m the one responsible for getting us there and back, pushing him in his chair while dragging our luggage (mostly his medical supplies) behind me.

Recent testing showed Sam to be very high risk for fractures. If he were to end up with a broken leg for instance, I would have a pretty hard time supporting him as I am now. We’re doing all we can to prevent both falls and breaks, including starting him on infusions to help increase his bone density, but there’s not a quick fix for something like this.

I was referred to the surgeon for another procedure, one similar to this but less involved. That one is also fully covered by insurance. I’d hoped it would be enough to help, but my doctor said it would be nothing more than a temporary bandaid, that it wasn’t the right option for me. She said what I needed most was to have the abdominoplasty so I could get my abdominal muscles tightened up. Said that, along with continued work on my part, would solve most of the problems I’ve been having (difficulty strengthening my core, back, pain, etc).

Only problem? It’s not covered.

Her solution was to give me a cash price, to be paid in full two weeks prior to my surgery date.

Seven thousand dollars, assuming everything goes as planned. $17k less than the average price charged. A huge savings.

Except there’s no way I can come up with even half that amount up front...

I’ve looked into every avenue I could think of, including asking the hospital to allow me to make payments, but I haven’t had any luck.

Life is hard for all of us at times, and it’s almost never fair, but while I can’t do a lot to change our circumstances at this moment, I can continue to fight for my son, and in turn for myself. If I’m not healthy and well, I wont be able to continue giving him the care he needs.

I hate asking others for help, but I can’t do this alone. It’s been four years since I last had a night where I was able to turn off my phone and sleep, knowing I wouldn’t be needed at some point during the night. Four years of providing 24/7 RN level care. I don’t get paid for what I do, although I could get paid to care for someone else’s child, and someone else could almost make a living caring for Sam. He’s currently qualified for private duty nursing, up to 65 hours a week, but we haven’t been able to fill those hours for multiple reasons.

I have to be well.

Strong.

Able.

But right now, because of how much he’s grown, I’m no longer strong enough. Physical therapy hasn’t fixed it. Neither has strengthening. I’ve also tried massage. Chiropractic. Everything I could think of.

This, the abdominoplasty, is what I’ve been told it’ll take to get me to where I need to be.

My son makes everyone he comes into contact with smile. He’s a fighter, an advocate, both for himself as well as for others who struggle with chronic medical issues. One of his goals in life is to make other people feel better, and knowing him like I do, I’m sure he’ll continue to work to make that happen.

Sam depends on me, and this need for a surgery I can’t afford is the only thing holding me back from continuing to give him the care and support he needs.......



Sheila deserves better, she has no time to be herself and does nothing for herself! If you are able to help in any way, please consider doing so.

Thank you!