Hello, my name is Nikki. I am trying to raise emergency funds to keep the roof over our heads and give my four children a Christmas. I am a special education/severely handicapped aide at our local middle and high school. My husband helps me out and stays home to take care of our children. I was unable to work for several months due to needing two life-saving emergency surgeries back in August. I had an ACDF on my cervical spine on May 28th. On August 3rd, I ended up in the ER due to choking on water. I found out that I had a retroparapharyngeal abscess in front of the fusion that was done on my c-spine. I was rushed to Novato due to the abscess crushing my windpipe and becoming life-threatening. They thought they removed the abscess, and I was home by the 9th. On August 10th, I woke up, and my whole throat and neck were swollen so much the stitches were starting to pop out. I went to the ER again and was life-flighted to Sacramento for an ENT specialist to remove the abscess and any other infection. During the procedure, they found that Novato surgeons had put a hole in my pharynx. I was on a feeding tube for two weeks with a wound vac on my neck. I was in the hospital for a total of three weeks and three days. After I returned home, I had a wound vac for two weeks. This whole terrifying ordeal put myself, my husband, and my children through a nightmare. We all were unsure if I would be coming home. Needless to say, we are in some need of help to pay our mortgage due to not being able to work for so long, and I would like our children to have a Christmas. Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated, no matter how small. Thank you for your time.