I never thought after 23 years of being a nurse I would then become the patient at such a young age of 58.

This all started with a visit. I, Sonya, came home to Alabama to visit my family and friends. On October 10th, I wasn't feeling good and went to a walk-in clinic in Jasper, AL. They told me I had pneumonia, gave me 2 shots and some antibiotics, and sent me home. On October 11th, when I woke up, I couldn't walk or breathe. They managed to put me in the car and get me to Fayette ER. When I arrived there, my body temp was 89.7. I was septic and coded for 10 minutes. I ended up having to be intubated and air evacuated to Tuscaloosa DCH. There, I was sent straight to ICU and was administered vasopressors for my blood pressure, which has caused parts of my feet to be black and blue from lack of blood and oxygen. I received vancomycin for sepsis, which put my kidneys in a shutdown phase with a GFR of 4. Since then, I have had to have a stent put in my heart and receive dialysis on a regular 3-day-a-week schedule, hoping my kidneys will start back. On November 16th, I had to go for a subclavian femoral bypass to hopefully restore blood flow to my legs and feet so I can walk again. In the event it doesn't work, I may have to amputate both legs. Later next week, I will have another surgery for debriding of my feet and ankles.

In the midst of everything, my California insurance has stopped paying for anything. This coming Friday, I will have been here 6 weeks. I have been fortunate enough to have my boyfriend by my side every step, being my caregiver, but as we all know, extended stays in the hospital will be costly. When I am able to leave, I will be going home to stay with my daughter until I am stable enough to return home. Without having any insurance, everything needed will have to be bought by my family.

Anything you could donate will help not only for meals in the hospital (because we all know how bad they are), hygiene, bills, and other things I will need once I am able to come home. Thank you so much and God bless.