Save a Disabled Veteran in need this Holiday Season …
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In April 2023, I was hit while riding my motorcycle home from my home health care job where I took care of two elderly patients. The person that hit me pushed me into the back of another vehicle and then fled the accident scene before the police arrived. I was then flown on a life flight to Promedica in Toledo for initial care. They conducted multiple X-rays, MRI’s, and CT scans to try and find everything wrong with me. I was given a blood transfusion and then flown on another life flight again to U of M Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI. because they could not handle my extensive injuries at Promedica. I suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury, broke orbital wall in my right eye, 2 fractured vertebrae in my neck, 2 fractured vertebrae in my back, a fractured rib, 2 fractures to my right leg, fractured wrist, jaw fractured in 3 places which broke all my teeth and almost severed my tongue off. I spent 10 days in the trauma ICU and had multiple surgeries. While hospitalized my husband and I were told that the doctors had found 2 masses in my right breast. During this time I had multiple return visits for tests, lab work, and various imaging. I was also in a C spine collar for 6 months. I had to have complete upper and lower dentures made. I was not allowed to drive and relied on my husband having to take off of work to get me to appointments. Because of the amount of appointments my husband also lost his job and was unemployed for 6 months. After about six months my husband and I were told that the 2 masses in my breast were not cancerous. However this started a completely different round of more testing, appointments, imaging, and medications. I was hospitalized again because one of my labs showed I was deficient in iron and potassium. I was hospitalized for another 8 days to receive iron, potassium, and blood transfusions. I had also been continuously losing weight and dropped from 148 lbs to 89 lbs at the time they hospitalized me. While hospitalized I was told that my jaw was still broken this was about 1 ½ years after the accident. I was told that this area of my jaw would most likely be permanently broken and held together with a plate in my jaw and they did not want to risk further nerve damage by doing a surgery. I have nerve damage to my lower jaw, a continuous problem with iron deficiency and routinely receive blood and iron transfusion, & during that Hospital stay the Dr found a 3rd mass in my breast so they removed the 2 non cancerous ones bedside surgically & then took me to the operating room to remove the 3rd mass which also tested negative & in that process they found a 4th mass which could not be removed & I still have in my breast unfortunately. Recently my husband and I were told that the cancer is in my uterus & ovary. A mass has also been found on my thyroid gland. My husband was out of work for 6 months and still has to routinely take days off from work to take me to doctor's visits or stay with me at the hospital. I still have not been able to find a job and wasn’t even cleared to start looking for a job until two months ago. We had to rehome both of our great danes, and our newfoundland because of the risk of me being knocked down and paralyzed by them. I am in a continuous battle to maintain weight and am being threatened with another hospital stay due to my hemoglobin levels. Along with all of this they are going to do a total hysterectomy and possibly a full mastectomy for the cancer &/or the BRCA Gene… So with the life flights, surgeries, hospital stays, medications, dentures, loss of work for both of us, and my husband continually having to take time off from work, the bills keep piling up. We are at risk of losing our home and vehicles. My husband works every possible moment his job will allow him to work and then still comes home, cares for me, takes me to appointments, and tries to maintain and take care of our home. This is the hardest thing either one of us has had to do. We do not like asking for help and I know this is killing my husband knowing that there is a go fund me. I am only doing this because it kills me to see him so stressed and exhausted because of working all the time and trying to figure out how to keep us from being homeless and being without a vehicle for transportation. Not to mention him worrying about my cancer and whether or not I will even be here in the future. Recently we were told that the cancer could be from my time in the service where I was exposed to burn pits while being deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. This also worries my husband because he is a veteran as well and was exposed to burn pits in Afghanistan, not to mention who knows what in Bosnia Herzegovina and Haiti. They have also mentioned the cancer could also be from working at ground zero after 9/11 as a Red Cross worker. This has by far been the hardest thing either one of us has had to face. Thank you for any help and know that we will never forget anyone who blesses us with this gift, thank you again & Happy Holidays to everyone…
Happy Holidays Everyone,
The Hansen Family
Co-organizers (2)
Christina Kamen
Organizer
Milan, MI
Angela Ogas
Co-organizer