Traci's Story

First, I wanted to share a little about my sister, Traci, before explaining the reasons that she is in need of your financial help. Traci is a loving mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, aunt and has many friends that care deeply about her. She has dedicated herself to her career as a nurse for 25+ yrs, she is very caring, warm hearted, compassionate about the patients she served. Traci helped many families grieve loss, as the majority of her work has been in nursing homes and hospice. Traci is the type of person that always puts others needs and wants before her own, filling in shifts at work when needed, working many double shifts with no sleep or very limited, and sometimes working 2 jobs to financially meet her family’s needs as a single mother. As we all know, it has been a very difficult 2 yrs on our health care professionals, who have watched many patients die, and on most occasions died alone. Not only did the pandemic take many lives, it also created many challenges working long hrs due to lack of staff and the amount of care needed. Unfortunately, my sister began struggling with her mental health last spring and was headed into a deep depression that worsened even though she was accessing behavioral health services. There were multiple medication changes, counseling sessions as Traci continued to fall deeper and deeper. On October 25th around 1:30 am, Traci attempted to take her own life in desperation. We all hear that God works in mysterious ways, as it was not her time to go. Luckily, her son found her and realized what had happened. At the point of arriving to the ER, Traci was in very critical condition and was admitted to the ICU, She spent the next 7 wks in the hospital. She was discharged 2 wks prior to Christmas, even though not a 100% we were thankful to have her with us for the holidays. Unfortunately, Traci began going back down hill and was readmitted to BHU 3 days after Christmas. Once again, began undergoing multiple medication changes, was having horrible side effects. Traci was having resistance to medication only and was recommended to undergo ECT treatments (ElectroConvulsive Therapy). She was then transferred on Jan 20th to Forbes hospital in Allegheny county to begin treatment and continues to be in the hospital. As a result of ongoing health issues and amount of time spent in hospital, Traci has not been receiving any income, she has drained all paid time off as well and has not received a paycheck since November. We have been attempting to manage her bills, finances but unfortunately her funds are running out. Even though attempts to access benefits, this process is very complicated, long and does not respond fast enough to those in need who have worked their entire life. We are asking for your support in helping us keep Traci financially above water and not lose her home, car, and everything else she has worked so hard for. We understand if people are not able to donate, but please put Traci in your prayers and help us share her story.