Hi, my name is Debra and I'm fundraising for my friend Katrina Bailey.

This is a Heartfelt Request for Help: A Journey No One Should Have to Endure.

At any given time in our lives, each of us is a breath away, a hearbeat, the blink of an eye from an event that changes everything forever….

For me, as a mother and a healthcare professional of 4 decades, I have witnessed the breadth of impacts that health and wellbeing have on those close to me and those I have cared for.

Earlier this year, I made the difficult decision to undergo what was a simple elective surgical procedure in an effort to improve my health. What seemed like a hopeful path to recovery turned into a nightmare. What followed was a cascade of unforeseen complications, leading to emergency, life-saving surgery. My hospital stay became an unending ordeal — six weeks that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Life as I knew it changed forever.

The toll this has taken on my body, my mind, and my life is immeasurable. I now carry permanent scars, both physical and emotional. I’ve been left with lasting disfigurement, a colostomy, and ongoing surgical complications. There are more surgeries in my future, and I am physically unable to return to the work I love so deeply. The passion I once had for my career now feels like a distant memory.

This ordeal has taken a heavy toll on my mental, emotional, and financial well-being. The trauma I’ve experienced is far beyond what I ever imagined, and I’m left with countless unanswered questions that haunt me daily: What went wrong? How did this happen? Why?

I refuse to let this happen to someone else. No one should endure what I’ve been through, and I will fight to understand how this tragedy could have been prevented. After seeking extensive legal counsel, I’ve been advised that there may be a case to answer, but in order to begin this process, I need to obtain my medical records and have them independently reviewed by an expert in the field. This crucial step comes with a significant cost of an estimated $10,000.

With that in mind, I’m reaching out with great humility to ask for your support. I need help to raise the funds necessary to take that first step toward justice, to get the answers I so desperately need, and to help ensure that no one else is forced to walk this painful path.