Help the Palmer Family!

Hi, my name is Seri Kravitz and I am fundraising for Nathan, Jess and Chase. Nathan is my cousin and recently his health has fallen on some really tough times. Like most families, The Palmers rely on dual incomes to survive. For the past few weeks, Nathan has been in the hospital fighting for his health. The hospital bills in themselves are going to be insurmountable but with Nathan unable to work and bring in an income, the Palmers are needing our help.

Here is a little background on Nathan's health, written by his precious wife, Jess:

Nathan sustained a break in his right foot in April of this year. While receiving care from his podiatrist for his broken foot, X-rays revealed something else lurking. The arch of his foot seemed to be flattening in a condition that could have been due to the trauma of the break or past complications. We sought a second opinion with the help of Nathan’s brother and sister in law which revealed that the foot does indeed have this complication called Charcot foot. If left untreated, Charcot foot can make the joints in your foot collapse and permanently affect the ability to use your foot. In severe cases, it can lead to needing your foot amputated. The main hurdles with treating this condition are first, there aren’t many surgeons who treat it, as the success rate isn’t high and the surgery is difficult, and second the recovery takes about a year without bearing weight on the foot. Feverishly, we have been researching surgeons, checking into best medical insurance options and attempting to line up our business to give Nathan a position to manage instead of being out in the field as his work is totally on his feet. Before everything was in place, the same foot became red around the ankle suddenly. Within a day the redness traveled up his leg to just below his knee. It swelled to the point of extreme pain and was also red hot. A trip to the emergency room was necessary. MRIs, ultrasound and Dopplers were all put into use as well as many blood cultures. Infection was present, but where was the source? Infectious disease Doctors and the Orthopedic surgeon on staff were most certain it was in the bone and amputation very likely. To everyone’s surprise the scans all revealed the bone was sound and infection was in the soft tissues. IV antibiotics were administered but unless a biopsy was preformed the exact bacteria that was attacking his leg could not be known. There were no open wounds, ulcers, lacerations, bites or stings. It took five different doctors nine days to find the correct antibiotic to fight the disease. Two and half weeks of very high doses were administered and we have seen great strides in the infection receding. Nathan finally made it home from the hospital August 29, but he still has a long road ahead of him. He will be receiving outpatient care until the infection is totally gone then the next course of action is to rehab the foot with surgery. The infection has brought our timeline up drastically. While coming home from the hospital was a big victory, it is not the finished line, only our first hurdle. We are certain that God’s hand is on us through it all and will bring us through this journey by His grace.

When one of our own is struggling, we rally and surround them with love and support. The reality is that without Nathan working, Jess's income alone is not enough to pay the bills and put food on the table. With this LONG road ahead of Nathan, it would mean so much to them and their family if we could help them in their greatest time of need.