**Support Cheryl's Recovery Journey: Help Us Bring Her Home**
Dear friends, family, and compassionate strangers,
I am reaching out today to share my mom's story and to ask for your support during this incredibly challenging time. Cheryl Nancy Helgeson, a vibrant and loving mother, grandmother, and retired nurse, recently underwent brain surgery to clip an aneurysm, a necessary step to prevent potentially life-threatening complications. It was only suppose to be a 3 day ordeal. However, after the surgery, our worst fears became reality when she suffered a seizure and subsequently a stroke that has impacted her motor skills and memory.
- The U of M decided that she should go to a long term care facility in St.Paul. the experience at the Bethesda hospital was nothing short of a nightmare. The lack of care and basic hygiene she endured was shocking and has taken a toll on her. From the time she had her surgery about 5 months ago now, they washed her hair only 2 times. And I don’t even mean wash, they just put a cap on her head with dry shampoo and than decided to not brush her hair not even once which made her hair into a big knot it took 3 hours and a ton of conditioner to get her hair out of the giant snarl it was in. She also had blood from the surgery still in her hair up until about 1 week ago. And because she was unable to speak or move around, the people at Bethesda decided that changing my mother’s diapers were not important. After all she couldn’t tell anyone if she wanted anything anyways. The outcome from that for my mom had to have been so insanely painful. She was literally bleeding from her private areas. And we are still trying to get her bottom to heel. Now that she is able to write things down and slowly learning to speak, it’s getting easier for her to communicate things. After months of abuse and neglect at Bethesda I was finally able to get her sent back to the U of M which is where she is now but she can’t stay there permanently. The trauma from her time at Bethesda has left her terrified and confused, often feeling as if she is still trapped there. Even tho she is at the U of M. And since she has been there her health and over all well being has gotten better and better only after a week or so of being there. And just when we got comfortable and confident with her being back there, my mother had another incident where a nurse ended up punching her right when the lady got on her shift, a way some nurses use when they don’t want to tend to the patient and to make them afraid to ask for anything. It’s sad that my mother has to live in fear because the hospitals don’t catch onto the abuse till sometimes years later.
Despite her 30 years of dedicated service as a nurse, my mom is facing significant financial challenges, as her insurance is now tapped out. So any of the places that we want her to go, wont take her because of the insurance issue. The other option is to get her home but the level of care she still needs atleast until she is able to eat on her own, would be far to much money. The mounting medical bills, coupled with the costs of travel back and forth to the hospital, have created a heavy burden on our family. My stepdad, Ric, has been a constant source of love and comfort, visiting her daily to remind her of who she is and help her through this harrowing experience.
We are asking for your help, even if it’s just $5. Every contribution adds up and will make a tremendous difference in her recovery and ability to return home, where she can continue her therapy surrounded by loved ones. Let’s come together to ensure Cheryl can enjoy her retirement and live the life she deserves, filled with laughter, love, and the joy of being with her grandbabies.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any support you can offer. Your generosity will not only help with medical expenses but will also provide us with the comfort of knowing that we are not alone in this fight.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Kara Ringold (Cheryl’s youngst daughter) and family.
If everyone of my mom’s friends donates just $5 each. I bet we could reach the goal!! Let’s make it happen!! Thanks again for all the support that everyone has been giving us and also thanks to everyone that has been going to see her. It has helped out so much and my family and myself are truly grateful! My mother is a wonderful woman and deserves to live the last chapter of her book with out feeling afraid or being abused. Let’s get her home!!!