Hi, my name is Kasey Finley and I am fundraising for my sister, Amber Burnette. On Saturday, June 18th, 2022 Amber was hospitalized for a second time at Blue Ridge Regional Hospital for severe leg pain & swelling.

Further testing showed that her WBC was over 20,000 accompanied by a high fever, low blood pressure, high heart rate and high respirations. Antibiotics were started and it was pretty evident to doctors that Amber was fighting a bacterial infections & if they didn’t get her moved to a higher tier hospital, her life and limb could be in danger.

At this point we were told Amber had became septic and they were working on getting her transferred. Saturday night she was transferred to Frye Regional Medical Center and placed in ICU. A PICC line was placed and the team added 2 more antibiotics, as well as a fentanyl drip. A vascular surgeon weighed in on the idea of doing a debridement procedure as well as another procedure to help relieve pressure. Although Amber’s MRI came back good and showed no signs of compartmental syndrome, her MRSA test did come back +. This is when doctors determined she had multiple bacterial infections going on.

Besides managing the infection, the doctors and nurses also worked to manage Amber’s pain and stabilize her vital signs. As of today, Amber will be moving from ICU to a step down bed. But her recovery is not over. We are not sure when a discharge will come. Although, she is finally at a point where she can tolerate pain medication by mouth, she still has her PICC line and is receiving more antibiotics.

An Infectious Disease Doctor will be meeting with the family today to discuss things further. As well as discuss what infusions, treatments and follow up care will come in the days after her discharge. At this point none of us know when she will be out of the hospital and able to return to work.

What we do know is that she will require a lot of support after discharge & the road to recovery will not be easy. Amber will have to commute over an hour one way for infusions & treatment as well as other follow up appointments. The medications needed may not be covered by insurance and she will have to pay out of pocket. Aside from her physical recovery, there is also the issue of her employment that may be risked due to the amount of time she will be out.

I started this fundraiser to help ease the stress of the lack of income in the following weeks, as well as the financial burden of gas & food as Amber and her significant other travel back & forth from follow up appointments.

If you’re unable to give today, that is totally okay! Other ways you can help is to pray for her healing and strength in the coming days, reach out to her with words of encouragement & share her story. Thank you for all of the prayers and support through all of this. ❤️