Support Lorna's Road to Recovery

Update: Day 10 and Mom is still in the hospital with no set discharge date. As we had anticipated, it's still been a rocky road to recovery with each day bringing a new challenge. She was diagnosed with gastroparesis yesterday, which explains her difficulty keeping food/liquids down. They have started her on a medicine for this that will hopefully aid her healing and get her back home where she can heal with more comfort. Thankfully her mobility continues to improve, taking more steps each day and able to get in and out of bed without assistance. Thank you to all who have donated. We are incredibly grateful.

Hello my name is Declyn Drejza. I am starting this fundraiser for my mother Lorna. This past Wednesday, August 7th my mother was taken by ambulance to the ER with excruciating abdominal pain and vomiting. Upon receiving a CT scan at the hospital, they discovered she had a perforated colon putting her at high risk for sepsis. She went into emergency surgery that afternoon and they performed a colectomy, removing part of her colon, as well as an ileostomy.

Since receiving this surgery almost a week ago, it has been a very rocky road to recovery. She spent her first 4 days in the hospital unable to keep down anything, even clear liquids. She spent her nights with little to no sleep, up all night vomiting and in severe pain. Overall, her body has had a severe inflammatory response to this surgery, leading to a more prolonged recovery time than what is typical for this surgery. Thankfully, she seems to be making improvements as of today Monday, the 12th, taking her very first few steps since surgery.

My mother has been a nurse for 25 years in many different fields from pediatric oncology to surgical nursing. As a nurse, she has dedicated her life to providing thoughtful and thorough care for others, going above and beyond for her patients in the psychiatric unit at Novant Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC where she has worked for the last 13 years. She now finds herself in need of care instead of being the care-giver.

We never thought we would be in a position to have to ask for donations. However, with my father being 75 years old and retired, and my mom being the sole provider, her indefinite absence from work and upcoming hospital bills as well as an additional surgery, will place tremendous financial strain on them. We are not certain of what out of pocket bills will be and expect them to exceed our "goal." Despite this high dollar amount for the goal, please know our family is grateful for any amount you may care to contribute to this cause. After all, there is strength in numbers.