Hi, my name is April Traquina and I’m raising money for my sister, Mandi Berry.

Mandi was admitted in to the hospital on 5/16/24 after being rushed to the ER during the night. She had severe abdominal pain which was determined to be caused by an infected gallbladder. Her gallbladder was removed that same day, but her pain kept increasing. After going through multiple tests, the doctors told Mandi she also has pancreatitis, caused by the severe gallstones. Many of her blood levels were “off” including calcium and oxygen, which they have had a hard time regulating.

Mandi stayed in the hospital a week, and then was prematurely discharged, which led to intense amounts of pain during her two nights at home. Our mom then took her back to the hospital and the doctors let her know she was in critical condition, much worse than when she was discharged from the hospital the two days prior. She has now been in the hospital an additional week since being readmitted.

She currently has high levels of infection around her pancreas and is on a strict all liquid diet. I was able to see her today (5/30/24) for the first time and the doctor projects she has at least two more days in the hospital before being released. He did say that it will be a long road to recovery for Mandi.

Mandi is a special education teacher in the public school system, and she is a loving mother to three sweet girls. She has now missed too many days of work and will not be paid for at least a few more weeks. On top of not being paid because of missed days and being a single mother to three daughters, the medical bills are stacking up. I know she is currently overwhelmed with not knowing how her regular bills will be paid, but now we sit with the unknown of how much she will have to pay from her (at least) two week stay in the hospital and extensive medical tests.

$5,000 will most likely barely scratch the surface, but I’m hoping it will give her some relief from the immediate worry. If you only have $5 to spare, it is SO appreciated! And if you have nothing to spare, I understand and it would mean so much to us if you would share this post.

Thank you so much!

April