Let's help Jess with her medical bills!

UPDATE: First of all, THANK YOU for your support! I finally have some progress to share! I’m not going to sugar coat this- Jess’ spine is in pretty rough shape from the accident. At this time, she is going to require two surgeries for separate sections. This is the break down so far:

On May 13th, she will be having Cervical Surgery to REMOVE vertebrae C5-6 and C6-7 and replacing them with prosthetics. There’s also a possibility that vertebrae C7-T1 will require fusion, but this cannot be determined until the doctor is physically in there and looking everything over.

In addition, she will require surgery on her lower lumbar. I do not have the fine details however, she will be having a spacer with two screws installed and a fusion placed at a lower point.

For someone who worked very hard to improve her own physical health and then become a physical trainer, you can imagine how this set back is affecting her. Your support has been greatly appreciated! The financial relief being applied towards the incoming bills has alleviated some of the stress she is facing. Thank you all for your continued support! If you would like to donate some meals after her surgery, please let me know and I’ll be happy to help coordinate a meal train for her family. Thank you all again.

Original Information:

After four months of navigating a difficult situation on her own, my sister, Jess, has FINALLY reached out asking for help (I love her dearly, but asking for help is not something she likes to do). On November 6th, 2024, she and her husband, John, were involved in a serious car accident, involving multiple vehicles. I’m very happy to say that there were no fatalities, however, as you can imagine, this has been a significant burden financially and medically. During the time of the accident, her and her family were in the middle of moving. While they had budgeted to cover the moving costs, the car accident depleted these funds. For about three months, they paid for two car payments- one for the damaged car until insurance cleared it and the other for the replacement vehicle.

In addition to the car payments, the medical bills are coming in at around $450 EACH. I'm very thankful to report that my brother-in-law walked away with some burns from the airbags and the expected aches and pains. My sister on the other hand, while not having critical injuries, has been receiving care for more concerning issues. The accident caused damage to tissue in one of her shoulders making it so that her use of the arm has become very limited and will require surgery to repair. There is also an injury to her spine, but sadly, doctors are still working on determining the extent of this issue. Insurance has been very slow to grant prior-authorizations for MRIs and other screening procedures. In addition to the physical injuries, she has been managing anxiety and other emotional responses to having a near death experience. To address her physical symptoms, she’s been attending PT and undergoing extensive testing with a spine specialist to figure out what is actually going on with her spine-currently still unanswered. She is in constant pain and is unable to work, due to these injuries. Her pain has gotten to the point she cannot stay in one position too long and she has tremendous difficulty sleeping.

To say she is feeling overwhelmed is a bit of an understatement. My brother-in-law has been doing everything he can to support his family however, their living situation was based on two incomes to manage. Now, not only do they have only one income, but it is unlikely she will be able to go back to work anytime soon, and the bills are washing over them. It is a matter of time before this begins to impact their ability to pay for their basic needs. This situation can easily morph into a nasty cycle of needing to work to pay for basic amenities, but unable to, because she can’t pay for her medical treatments.

Please consider giving to this fund, so my sister can continue to receive proper medical treatment without worrying about her family’s basic needs. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.

Thank you!

Naomi