Continuing Rally for Twanna's Urgent Medical Needs

Hi everyone! I’m organizing this GoFundMe because our beloved friend, Twanna LaTrice Hill, urgently needs our support. Twanna recently underwent a complex spinal surgery, followed by weeks of intensive rehabilitation, but unexpected medical complications have set her back. Now, she faces yet another major surgery, ongoing health struggles, and the inability to work—all while trying to manage basic living expenses and keep her writing alive.

Thanks to your generosity, Twanna’s last GoFundMe helped sustain her through these difficult months. However, with these new medical challenges and an uncertain recovery timeline, she needs our help again. Every donation, no matter how small, can make a difference. Even $5 adds up, and if you’re in a position to contribute more, it would mean the world to her.

Let’s show Twanna that she is not alone. She has spent her life advocating for others—now it’s our turn to lift her up.

Here’s a message from Twanna herself:

I want to thank everyone who contributed to the original GoFund Me, but I cannot believe I am back so soon asking for your support. With all of your help, we met the original goal which I had set expecting to return to work by the end of February. Unfortunately, an array of medical complications have arisen on my path to recovery, complications which we could not foresee or anticipate.

Ostensibly, my lumbar fusion was successful, and I spent 2+ weeks inpatient in intensive rehabilitation. Unexpectedly, however, my blood pressure and heart rate have skyrocketed. I am dealing with a significant increase in pain, which is probably the biggest contributing factor. My pain management is further challenged by my pre-existing Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, which does not respond to pain medication. Consequently, we have been unable to get my BP to return to baseline. I lost a significant amount of weight, and, at one point, was down to 99 pounds. I live with anemia, but my red blood cell count plummeted so dramatically that I have been sent to the emergency room twice (once from rehab and a second time from home) for blood transfusions. I have also been sent to the ER twice to be given IV fluids. The increased pain and the weakness of my core have me unable to walk without mobility assistance.

Then, a totally new and unrelated problem arose.

At my six week follow-up, my surgeon sent me to the ER because of intolerable stomach pain and a hard, peach-sized ball above my belly button. (The attached picture is from that ER visit) I learned that I was suffering from an Attenuated Umbilical Hernia. Often, a hernia can be ignored and given my health a cautious approach seems warranted. In this instance, that is not going to be possible. A clinical exam has suggested that the hernia is strangulated and may be necrotic. I have no choice but to go under the knife (and general anesthesia) for the third time in less than 15 months.

As you might imagine, this is a huge setback to my recovery from the spinal surgery. Hernia repair surgery was initially scheduled for March 21. As I lay on the OR table after having signed my surgical consent form and with the IV in my arm (!), the anesthesiologist entered and canceled the surgery. The routine labs drawn a couple of hours before revealed an exacerbation of my underlying kidney disease.

We have spent the last several days trying to stabilize my kidneys enough so that the surgeon can complete the hernia repair. After I heal from that, I can re-focus on recovering from the lumbar surgery. It is not possible for me to manage my normal expenses of housing, utilities, food, and medical needs on SSDI alone. I remain optimistic that I will be able to return to part-time work sometime in May.

Here are sentiments I wholeheartedly agree with from Sarah Schantz who wrote the first GoFundMe:

Twanna is a ferocious champion for others; she advocates for survivors of sexual violence and for individuals with disabilities. She takes her own wounds and turns them into a balm for the wounds of others who have been hurt in the same ways she has been. Twanna is also a passionate, dedicated, and talented writer, artist, actor, and director. She is a regular in my Works-in-Progress class at Lighthouse Writers Workshop where she shines as both the incredibly skilled writer that she is, but also in all the ways she supports her fellow writers in that space. She champions their craft by not only celebrating their writing, she carefully and thoughtfully attends to helping them see what isn't working while simultaneously offering smart ideas for what they might do to remedy these issues. I've never gotten to take a class from Twanna but I can see what a natural teacher she is by the ways she generously shows up for her peers and in all the ways I've learned from her simply by listening to the advice she offers others.

Let's show up for Twanna now in her time of need. Thank you!

Here’s an update from April 12th:

Twanna’s April 12th Update