Veronica's unforeseen Journey

Hi, my name is Merle Kelley, and I am fundraising for my wife Veronica Kelley. Veronica is on a journey she never could foresee.

For months, Veronica has been sick and in pain, frequently extreme spasmic pain. There is a not a day that she is not in pain, oftentimes doubled over, then having to grab onto the end of our dining table with her back arched, trying to "stretch" (as she says) the pain out. The only relief at this point is to take muscle relaxers, (any pain medication intensifies the spasmic pain), which causes nausea and soon just knocks her out completely. She began her journey with multiple doctor visits. Through blood tests and imaging, she was diagnosed with Lung disease. She also has cysts in her lungs, kidneys, liver, and an

enlarged spleen. It was later discovered she also has a cyst in her small intestine. Her pancreas and liver enzymes are incredibly high.

Veronica has also been diagnosed with Sphincter of the Oddi Dysfunction (SOD), which has been determined to be the likely cause of her spasmic pain. Essentia Health referred her to Mayo Clinic in Rochester. After viewing her records, she was referred to the Medical University of

South Carolina in Charleston, S.C. (MUSC).

MUSC has a specialty department that deals with issues of the pancreas, including scientists, researchers, physicians, and surgeons. It is also possible that she may have a tumor blocking the SOD causing the extreme pain.

She will most likely need a type of surgery on the Oddi. The surgery is very delicate, complicated and will require a long hospital stay.

She will be traveling back and forth from Minnesota to South Carolina multiple times. We are hoping she is able to have any testing done here (MRI, Ultrasound, etc.), but with insurance we are still not sure if that is a possibility.

 

With the combination of pain, medications, and the frequency of having to travel Veronica has had to quit working. She will no longer be running an in home daycare. Which then puts us in a financial bind for the cost of the traveling and the costs of medical as our insurance will only cover a certain percent of the cost because of being out of our preferred network.

Any funds we are able to collect will be used for traveling, hotel costs, and any and all medical costs. Any money we have left we are planning on donating to the Sphincter of the Oddi foundation.

Veronica is the love of my life. I cannot even think about going through life without her. She is my best friend. We have a beautiful family together, and we need her. I cannot put into words my feelings for her. I see her everyday battle through pain, battle through getting up everyday because she is losing hope in being pain free. When you see her, she will put a huge smile on her face and talk to you like she doesn't have a care in the world, don't be fooled. She is in extreme pain just trying to get through one day at a time. She is one of the strongest people I know.

Any and all help would be deeply appreciated.

We know God has her in his hands.