Support Jimmy and Laurie in Their Time of Need

Hi there,

My name is Ashley Havens-Kramer and I'm doing this to help my parents with medical expenses that are causing financial hardships. Let me give a background as to who my parents are and then shed some light on expenses and hardships, I'm trying to help them with.

My mom Laurie Kemenah-Havens is only 55 years old; she grew up in a racing family since she was knee-high to a grasshopper. Racers in the Ohio area in the late 90's, early 2000's may remember my mom traveling to racetracks to not only watch and support her brothers Brian Kemenah (Crew Chief for top teams) and Chad Kemenah (NSCHoF Driver), and sister Amy Steinbrick (Husband Adam's family own a race team). But a lot of you may remember Laurie from being set up in the parking lots of racetracks selling all the drivers t-shirts from the back her van (in the days before big merchandise trailers). Selling shirts for guys like her brother Chad, Greg Wilson, Jason Johnson, Mike Wagner, Danny Smith, Chris Andrews, Brandon Martin and MANY MANY MORE! She also worked for Fremont City School starting at Hayes School in 97 then moved to Ross High in 2003. She was at Ross High from 2003 to 2005 then returned from 2006 mid school year to 2008. Was unable to return after that. And for a little insight on my dad. My dad Jimmy Havens was known in Pit Area working with Chad for many years, Greg Wilson for a few years before making getting with SC Racing with drivers like: Rob Chaney, Jesse Hockett, Brandon Martin, Thomas Meseraull, Ricky Peterson and a few others over the last 20 years. He also paints many racecars in the NW Ohio area. And has also been an auto body repairman for 35+ years between Al Baumann in Fremont and Snyder's Collison in Sandusky. Together Jimmy and Laurie have been married 38 years, they have two grown children AJ (Jamie) and Ashley (Zach), along with 7 wonderful grandchildren Kayden, Ryder, Karlee, Kinlee, Rylet, Brooklyn and Dawsyn.

In 2004 Laurie had a fall at home that led to a misread x-ray missing a broken tibia. UTMC saved her life then for the first time. She had to have many repair and skin grafts surgeries. Plus, a nursing rehab stay for a few months. Racking up medical bills.

In 2008 Laurie was involved in a car accident on State St in Fremont right across from Jimmy's work but he had just left work for the day to get ready for the races. Laurie had to be life flighted from Fremont back to UTMC. She has to have many more reconstructive surgeries to both legs and many more skin grafts. And had to have metal fixator bars on both legs and right ankle. She had another length recovery at the nursing rehab facility.

She was back to a somewhat "normal" life until 2011. On December3rd of 2011 she was seeming kind of out of it. Wasn't making sense talking, was being mean and nasty, just truly wasn't being herself. We took her back up to UTMC where we learn she had a flesh-eating bacteria. Also known as Necrotizing Fasciitis. Her odds did not look good at all. To the extreme they had the whole family come in and say their "Goodbye's" before taking her to the operating room. My mom is a fighter though because she beat the odds. It was a longer road of medically induced coma and then months of bedrest. Many surgeries to clean where they took all the flesh off of, and many operations to do skin grafts to cover the whole calf area. To learning how to walk and everything again over a 5-day period with her one nighttime nurse (he was amazing) just so she could go home and not to the nursing rehab facility again. She was at UTMC from 12/03/11 to 03/03/12.

Thankfully there hasn't been huge happens like all mentioned above but that doesn't mean it's been smooth sailing. Since about 2014 she has fought with old wounds opens and turning into infections, and new wounds and infections starting. Jimmy pays for EVERYTHING from doctor visits to medications ALL bandage needs out of pocket. And just for a rough idea for 6 boxes of alginate, 1 box of allevyns, 3 boxes of oil emulsion strips for ONE week is $170! Plus, a month supply of 150 ABD pads is $110. Her health insurance dropped her years ago. And every insurance she tried after would either deny her or not cover anything due to what they like to call "Preexisting Conditions".

On January 13, 2025, Laurie's Sister-in-Law Tracy took her back to UTMC where she is fighting once again! She's at the point she will likely need another operation to ultimately save her life before the infections in her leg sadly take her life.

Tracy has worked hard of finding insurance, but it will cost Jimmy roughly $850+ a month and that's just for her coverage and no other expenses.

This GoFundMe is to help Jimmy with all of these expenses to help him be able to afford to take time off work to spend with her during these hard times. And who knows maybe after everything one day she will be strong and well enough for her and my dad to take a much-deserved vacation of her dreams to go to Disney and finally see Mickey Mouse!

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!

THE HAVENS FAMILY

***Update 1/23***

First off thee entire family wants to thank EVERYONE that has donated to help Laurie and Jimmy out at this time! From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! And thank you to everyone that has shared!

Second, Laurie came home on 1/20 for the time being. She will have a follow up at UTMC in February when her insurance goes into effect. And at the follow up they will come up with a next step game plan.