Seeking Help & MRSA Awareness
Donation protected
Hi friends & family, it’s Abbie (or Abigail, Abs, Gail, Gilligan, Bee… whatever nickname you have for me).
On July 14th, I was hospitalized after contracting MRSA from a bug bite in Washington, resulting in 2 back to back emergency surgeries and 21 day hospital stay, followed by 6 weeks of aftercare. I had to have a Wound VAC placed on my 7.5-inch wide, 3-inch deep incision. Wound VAC's are used to aid deep wounds on the body that could otherwise take months to a year to heal.
I can safely say I have a new lease on life after facing a near-death experience, which is why I am asking for help. After receiving multiple medical bills that total more than a year's salary, I've had to put my ego and pride aside and reach out for assistance.
For those who don't know, MRSA can easily attack those with a weakened immune system. I contracted COVID in May (even though vaccinated) and broke my ankle in June, contributing factors to why my body could not fight off this disease.
MRSA infections can resist the effects of many common antibiotics, so they're more difficult to treat. This can allow the infections to spread and can become life-threatening.
MRSA infections may affect your:
- Bloodstream
- Lungs
- Heart
- Bones
- Joints
Some quick facts about how MRSA can occur through Staph:
- Different varieties of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, commonly called "staph," exist. Staph bacteria are normally found on the skin or in the nose of about one-third of the population. The bacteria are generally harmless unless they enter the body through a cut or other wound, and even then they usually cause only minor skin problems in healthy people.
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 5% of the population chronically carries the type of staph bacteria known as MRSA.
Antibiotic resistance
- MRSA is the result of decades of often unnecessary antibiotic use. For years, antibiotics have been prescribed for colds, flu and other viral infections that don't respond to these drugs. Even when antibiotics are used appropriately, they contribute to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria because they don't destroy every germ they target. Bacteria live on an evolutionary fast track, so germs that survive treatment with one antibiotic soon learn to resist others.
I am currently trying to get back on my feet after returning to LA. I was in the middle of a career transition from corporate wealth management marketing to owning a business focused on graphic design and brand management. My life's trajectory has been flipped upside down due to this unfortunate situation. Seeking any help I can get, so I decided to come here - to gofundme.
If you cannot donate to my "cause," aka me - I understand entirely. All I can ask is that you take any medical situations you may experience seriously! I felt invincible until this happened to me... and I now know how short life truly is.
If you can help me out - THANK YOU. I could have never predicted this situation, and I am still in awe that this happened to me. All I can do now is pay it forward with kindness and compassion and bring awareness to how deadly MRSA can be.
Stay safe, love you all
Organizer
Abigail Galusha
Organizer
Tenino, WA