Eric and Stacey Hand

As some of you may know, our dear friend Stacey was stricken with a "superbug" intestinal infection on August 29th.  Eric took her to St. Nicholas hospital in Sheboygan, where her health quickly began to deteriorate.  The next day, she was transferred to Froedtert Medical Center in Milwaukee with the Flight for Life crew in the ambulance, where they discovered she had sepsis, which is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by the body's response to an infection.  A "nuclear bomb" of antibiotics was administered to Stacey, but her body did not initially respond.  They were finally able to stabilize her early in the morning on August 31st.  She spent several days in the ICU and eventually was transferred to a regular hospital room at Froedtert.  Stacey was finally able to go home on Saturday, September 14.

Unfortunately, just a few days after she returned home, Eric had to take Stacey again to the emergency room at St. Nick's.  She had a fever and wasn't feeling well.  The doctors transferred her back down to Froedtert, where she's been since September 19.  Stacey has a team of doctors working on her, but her diagnosis remains unknown at this time.  There is a pocket of infection in her intestines, which they believe is causing her condition, but they haven't been able to resolve her issues or provide her relief from the pain.  She's had a minor surgery to insert a drainage tube.  She will have a colonoscopy tomorrow, which will hopefully bring some answers.

Stacey is a fighter--a cancer survivor--but this infection is taking an incredible toll on her both mentally and physically.  Please reach out to Eric and Stacey with any words of encouragement as they work through this difficult time.  And if you are able to make a financial donation, I'm certain they would be forever grateful.  

"When I had no wings to fly, you flew to me." -Grateful Dead (Attics of My Life)