Crystal Needs Our Help
Donation protected
Let me start by saying I have known Crystal since middle school... So about 20 years. This woman has been through some amazing and courageous things in her life, like joining the Navy to moving across the nation and back. But she has also been through quite a few hardships, one of the biggest was losing her mother at a tender age. I never knew her mother, but perhaps she is a part of Crystal’s inner strength. One of the many things that I commend Crystal on is when she came to my mother’s funeral (7yrs ago). It was an extremely tender subject since it hit her on a different level than most of my friends, but she did it. I was immensely proud of her. She spoke to me after, informing me that it wasn’t until I got up and spoke that she lost control of her emotions. That is how connected she is with the people she cares about. She connects on a very emotional level and even though she was upset, she did anything to make me smile. I needed her help through that, but now she needs my help. She needs OUR help.
Which brings me to why I am asking you to please help my friend. Crystal, along with her significant other Gerik, have gone through a lot within these past couple of months. They decided back in the early summer that they wanted to have a baby, so they had been trying ever since. One night, Oct.4th around 10:30 pm she thought that she was just having normal cramps. Unfortunately those cramps turned into a stabbing pain, fever, chills, and chattering teeth, to her heart racing at a very dangerous level. It wasn’t until she realized that she couldn’t control her breathing, nor her heart rate that she had to go to the ER at 1:30 am Oct. 5th. So her and Gerik went to the emergency room where she was admitted immediately because she was suffering from life threatening septic shock. While at the hospital the pain that she was in was immense but whether or not you know Crystal she is extremely strong and she never gives up on anything. She’s definitely a fighter - it is in her blood. It is truly one of the reasons that I love and adore her.
Though they were able to slow the symptoms of the sepsis, they still had an issue trying to figure out what was causing the issue. After A LOT of tests were run they finally figured out that it was an 8.5 cm Tubo Ovarian Abscess, about the size of a baseball. It was actually two abscesses that made one big abscess. Crystal was informed that her doctor wanted to avoid surgery at all cost, because if they tried to remove it surgically she might end up with a full hysterectomy because of how large and acute The abscess was. The thought process immediately was “I won’t be able to have my own child.” I honestly can’t even imagine being in that position. Her doctor (who was absolutely incredible) was very honest, and tried everything that she could - involved a number of surgeons, and a team of doctors to figure out the next best treatment. They decided on a heavy treatment of two IV antibiotics to try and shrink the abscess, and Crystal spent an entire week in the hospital receiving said treatment.
Crystal was then sent home with a PICC line placed in her right arm and received home health care infusions for about two weeks to continue trying to shrink the abscess. After those two weeks she went for an ultrasound to check on the progress, and the abscess hadn't shrunk even half a centimeter and was informed that surgery was no longer avoidable.
Crystal continually received bad news at every turn during the course of her treatment, and always took the news with a grain of salt, and tried to stay positive. She is very open about letting the people who love her know what’s going on and I personally can’t thank her enough for that.
Crystal was also informed that her doctor, and the general surgeon her doctor enlisted to assist, would do everything they could to save as much of her reproductive system as possible, but she might lose everything. Unfortunately, no one would know until after the surgery was done what she got to keep or lose. Crystal and Gerik were devastated, and I can't even imagine how emotional it must have been for them. My heart was aching, and she handled it so much better than I think that I ever could have and I praise her for that, because through everything she was still pushing for positivity. So she had the surgery and they were miraculously able to save her uterus, right fallopian tube, and right ovary.
When she came out of the surgery I wish I was able to see Gerik‘s face when the doctor told him that they were able save enough to have a baby. They get to have a child together!!
However, this leads to the next issue, there is extensive damage to the right fallopian tube due to another abscess Crystal had removed when she was 15, a year after her appendix ruptured at 14. Crystal has a functioning uterus, and functioning ovary, but because of the damaged tube, she will not be able to conceive naturally. Crystal is going to have to go through extensive fertility treatments, and very expensive IVF procedures in order to have a baby. IVF costs a minimum of 10k out of pocket!!
Let’s be real for a moment... having a happy ending unfortunately in many medical circumstances comes with a heavy financial burden, and throughout this entire month and a half she was out of work and she was on disability. Gerik also missed some work. The amount that disability pays you is nowhere near what someone needs to survive. My friend needs help and she has no idea how she and Gerik are going to be able to afford all of the medical bills from the hospital stay, home health care, the medicines, the imaging services, and the major surgery that she had, let alone trying to get set up to get IVF treatment. The longer they wait to do fertility, and the IVF, the greater chance there is for something like this to happen again, and if so, she'll end up with a hysterectomy and her chance for her own, biological child is done.
She’s always been there for every reason, and any reason for her family and friends let alone her country as a veteran.
I would greatly appreciate if anyone could donate and please share her story. Anything right now would be a blessing.
Thank you
Which brings me to why I am asking you to please help my friend. Crystal, along with her significant other Gerik, have gone through a lot within these past couple of months. They decided back in the early summer that they wanted to have a baby, so they had been trying ever since. One night, Oct.4th around 10:30 pm she thought that she was just having normal cramps. Unfortunately those cramps turned into a stabbing pain, fever, chills, and chattering teeth, to her heart racing at a very dangerous level. It wasn’t until she realized that she couldn’t control her breathing, nor her heart rate that she had to go to the ER at 1:30 am Oct. 5th. So her and Gerik went to the emergency room where she was admitted immediately because she was suffering from life threatening septic shock. While at the hospital the pain that she was in was immense but whether or not you know Crystal she is extremely strong and she never gives up on anything. She’s definitely a fighter - it is in her blood. It is truly one of the reasons that I love and adore her.
Though they were able to slow the symptoms of the sepsis, they still had an issue trying to figure out what was causing the issue. After A LOT of tests were run they finally figured out that it was an 8.5 cm Tubo Ovarian Abscess, about the size of a baseball. It was actually two abscesses that made one big abscess. Crystal was informed that her doctor wanted to avoid surgery at all cost, because if they tried to remove it surgically she might end up with a full hysterectomy because of how large and acute The abscess was. The thought process immediately was “I won’t be able to have my own child.” I honestly can’t even imagine being in that position. Her doctor (who was absolutely incredible) was very honest, and tried everything that she could - involved a number of surgeons, and a team of doctors to figure out the next best treatment. They decided on a heavy treatment of two IV antibiotics to try and shrink the abscess, and Crystal spent an entire week in the hospital receiving said treatment.
Crystal was then sent home with a PICC line placed in her right arm and received home health care infusions for about two weeks to continue trying to shrink the abscess. After those two weeks she went for an ultrasound to check on the progress, and the abscess hadn't shrunk even half a centimeter and was informed that surgery was no longer avoidable.
Crystal continually received bad news at every turn during the course of her treatment, and always took the news with a grain of salt, and tried to stay positive. She is very open about letting the people who love her know what’s going on and I personally can’t thank her enough for that.
Crystal was also informed that her doctor, and the general surgeon her doctor enlisted to assist, would do everything they could to save as much of her reproductive system as possible, but she might lose everything. Unfortunately, no one would know until after the surgery was done what she got to keep or lose. Crystal and Gerik were devastated, and I can't even imagine how emotional it must have been for them. My heart was aching, and she handled it so much better than I think that I ever could have and I praise her for that, because through everything she was still pushing for positivity. So she had the surgery and they were miraculously able to save her uterus, right fallopian tube, and right ovary.
When she came out of the surgery I wish I was able to see Gerik‘s face when the doctor told him that they were able save enough to have a baby. They get to have a child together!!
However, this leads to the next issue, there is extensive damage to the right fallopian tube due to another abscess Crystal had removed when she was 15, a year after her appendix ruptured at 14. Crystal has a functioning uterus, and functioning ovary, but because of the damaged tube, she will not be able to conceive naturally. Crystal is going to have to go through extensive fertility treatments, and very expensive IVF procedures in order to have a baby. IVF costs a minimum of 10k out of pocket!!
Let’s be real for a moment... having a happy ending unfortunately in many medical circumstances comes with a heavy financial burden, and throughout this entire month and a half she was out of work and she was on disability. Gerik also missed some work. The amount that disability pays you is nowhere near what someone needs to survive. My friend needs help and she has no idea how she and Gerik are going to be able to afford all of the medical bills from the hospital stay, home health care, the medicines, the imaging services, and the major surgery that she had, let alone trying to get set up to get IVF treatment. The longer they wait to do fertility, and the IVF, the greater chance there is for something like this to happen again, and if so, she'll end up with a hysterectomy and her chance for her own, biological child is done.
She’s always been there for every reason, and any reason for her family and friends let alone her country as a veteran.
I would greatly appreciate if anyone could donate and please share her story. Anything right now would be a blessing.
Thank you
Organizer and beneficiary
Nicole Ciza
Organizer
Apalachin, NY
Crystal Nedlik
Beneficiary
