Support Molly's Recovery and Family Needs

Hi everyone!

My name is Ashly and I have started this fundraiser in hopes to help my dear friend, Molly, and her family. She recently has undergone spinal fusion surgery and unfortunately during the surgery her vocal cords were damaged, causing difficulty with speech, swallowing and breathing. The surgery was 6 weeks ago, and she is really struggling emotionally....and soon to be financially as she may not have her job much longer. If you can find it in your hearth to donate anything at all, it would mean the world to us. Anything donated will go towards rent/food and any other necessary bills that she will not be able to cover once her leave is up. Below is something she wrote up to better explain what happened. If you have any questions, please get in touch with me. Thank you for your time.

From Molly:

I’d like to start off by saying that this is not something I anticipated doing or writing, but I’m at a loss and really feel that this is my only option at the moment. I am really having to swallow my pride to ask for this help. On June 4, I had a VERY long awaited spinal fusion (ACDF) surgery to try to correct problems (bulging disks, bone spurs, and stenosis) that were causing an incredible amount of chronic pain that I have been struggling with for years. Unfortunately, during that surgery my vocal cords were damaged, and last week I received a diagnosis of vocal cord paralysis on my right vocal cord. Hopefully with speech therapy and filler injections into the damaged vocal cord it will slowly repair itself, but right now it’s just a waiting game. Not only does this affect my voice and speech, but it affects by breathing and swallowing as well, which is scary. I think more than that it has affected my emotional and mental health, as I feel that I have lost of part of my identity. It is hard to explain if you have not experienced it. And if you know me at all you know that using my voice, connecting with others, being loud, and laughing are a part of who I am.

I am on paid leave which will run out in two weeks, and with that I have barely been able to cover basic expenses of rent, utilities, and food. As a single mom and only income earner in the home, this is tough. I will also need to make some trips to Seattle to see a specialist, but thankfully I am able to receive assistance paying for gas for the trips there and back. I have a choice to make this week, but ultimately I may have to end up giving up my job. I hope to be able to receive unemployment or some type of assistance until I am able to find a remote job where I do not have to use my voice (I have already applied for many.) Additionally, I begin my last year of my BSW program as well as online research practicum next month.

As I said in the beginning, this is not something that I anticipated happening going into a much anticipated surgery, but now I find myself feeling that I must ask for this help. This is terribly hard for me to do, and anything you can spare would really mean the world to me. My hope is that if I am struggling a little less to make ends meet that I will get some of my light back. I have really worked so hard in the last few years to become a better person and mom, and these obstacles are starting to make me feel so beaten down. I want to be able to be here emotionally for my kids and everyone I love. Thank you for taking the time to read this.