Stand by C.C. in Her Medical Fight

My name is Moon-Raven Lake and I am reaching out to seek financial assistance for my sister, Chay-Gam-Em Lake, affectionately known as C.C.

My sister is currently hospitalized at Cal Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, CA with multiple serious health issues that are considered life-threatening. She was initially hospitalized at our local hospital in Redding, CA approximately 3 weeks ago, but was transferred by ambulance to Cal Pacific Medical Center (Sutter) on December 2, 2024, to be evaluated and treated by specialized surgeons who have advanced knowledge in complications pertaining to Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypasses and specialists who are better suited to handle the complex medical conditions my sister is suffering from.

To help better understand my sister's current state of health, I will share the following information and details. In 2014, my sister had a Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery at UC San Francisco Medical Center. During that surgery, she sustained a severe surgical injury; the surgeon severed her main abdominal artery when attempting to staple her "gastric pouch." As a result, she lost 9 units of blood, sending her into hemorrhagic shock. (According to the Red Cross, an average adult human body contains around 10 units of blood.) My sister had to undergo an additional surgery to repair the damaged artery and stop the hemorrhage, resulting in her being in a coma for 54 days and receiving multiple blood transfusions. My sister literally died and was brought back to life after undergoing life-saving measures, including cardiac defibrillation. Since that surgery, her health has NEVER been the same. She has undergone 47 blood transfusions, 54 iron transfusions, 9 bowel obstructions requiring surgical repair that often result in sepsis requiring wound vac use and additional medical treatment, 17 hiatal hernias, and countless trips to the emergency room and lengthy hospital stays. From all of her visits to the local ER and extensive hospital stays, we have learned that the local physicians and surgeons lack training and knowledge in the areas of post-gastric bypass complications, gastric bypass patient anatomy, issues that pose a threat to her morbidity and mortality in comparison to the average patient as a result of gastric bypass, and other technical issues relating to the care my sister requires. As a result, my sister has undergone many failed attempts to properly treat her and failed procedures performed by local medical providers, causing her additional health issues and complications and further hindering her recovery.

Desperate to find a knowledgeable specialist to effectively assess and treat my sister's serious health issues and finally allow her to be healthy and pain-free, we were forced to seek care outside of our local area and healthcare system, often requiring us to travel as far as the Bay Area and even up to Oregon in an attempt to find help for her.

As a last hope and option given to my sister from the local emergency room physicians and general surgeons, she was informed that Cal Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco would be her best and only option to attempt to identify a gastric leak or bleed that would resolve her repeated gastric infections and unidentifiable hemorrhaging. We are told that Cal Pacific has specialists nationally recognized for their expertise in bariatric surgery-related complications and rare disorders. Additionally, we were told Cal Pacific was one of only 3 facilities in the nation with the unique equipment required to identify and repair my sister's gastric leak and hemorrhaging. Many referrals and phone consultations were made, but only resulted in denials by either her insurance company or a denial by the specialist at the facility.

This caused my sister to become very discouraged, severely depressed, hopeless, and even caused her intermittent episodes of suicidal ideation as the immense pain she suffers from daily is unbearable, the constant nausea and vomiting, recurrent infections, along with having to undergo all of the treatments, procedures, and hospitalizations only to discover in the end of it all her issues are unresolved or cured, her pain is not relieved, and her issues and symptoms progress. To date, she has not been provided any answers to the actual cause of her ailments and no effective treatment has been identified.

For the last 11 years, I have watched my sister suffer and battle, giving all she has to fight for her life; it is truly heartbreaking. I am literally witnessing her physical and spiritual deterioration as she desperately searches for help and relief from all of this, and it is unbearable to watch. I am also witnessing firsthand the devastating impact all of this has on the lives of her 4 daughters, her youngest being only 3 years old, as they have to grow up and navigate their lives without their mother. Since my sister is a single mom, her daughters have only their mother, who they have had to suffer and learn to live without due to her detrimental state of health. The cycle is continuing as I am now witnessing the impact it is having on her grandchildren. The impact this is all having on my sister, her children, grandchildren, and myself is severely damaging. This is no way for any person to live or for children to have to grow up.

My sister was finally accepted as a patient at Cal Pacific Medical Center and is undergoing care and treatment in an attempt to save her life. The facility is over 4 hours from where she lives. Due to my sister's critical condition and the threat to her life, she requests and expresses the need for me and her children to be there with her as she undergoes all of this so that she has support and comfort as she endures the multiple surgeries and procedures planned for her along with the extensive hospitalization she is facing, especially during this time of year with it being the holiday season. We would like to make sure my sister has one of her family members with her as she undergoes her care and, God forbid, in the event she passes, she will not be alone. My sister needs her family and has severe fear and anxiety of doing this all alone. Recovery and healing take more than medical treatment and care; it takes love, prayers, and support. Her family gives her the strength to keep fighting.

This GoFundMe is created to help cover the costs of transportation, toll fees, parking, food, and expenses related to her care and support. Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a significant difference in our ability to navigate this challenging time. Thank you for your support.