Crystal Pistol's Medical Fund
Where do we begin...
No one can ever prepare for the kind of emergency and life changing, unexpected experience we are all going through.
Crystal Pistol, is my cousin. She is also most importantly a daughter, a sister, a grand daughter, great granddaugter and one of the coolest friend's any one so lucky can have.
She's the smallest creature with the biggest hair. Such a creative, curious and independent soul.
We are starting the fund to help her with her medical bills due to Lemierre Syndrome which has landed her in ICU as of November 22nd, 2016.
Lemierre's Syndrome:
This is a disease that is usually caused by Fusobacterium Necrophorum & most often affects young, healthy adults. It creates a peritonsillar abscess, a blood clot, filled with bacteria near the tonsils in the jugular vein. If this infection is not caught in time the blood clot will start to break apart & travel to the lungs & other major organs.
On November 17th, 2016 we spent the day in the ER due to extreme tenderness in her abdomen, inability to eat and hold anything down, cold sweats, trouble breathing and what appeared to be the stomache flu. Doctors thought it was apendicitis, ruled that out and explained due to her sympotoms it may be a gastrointestinal infection. She was prescribed over the counter Tylenol for pain and Pepcid for the nausea and acid build up.
The next 5 days, she tried to sleep it off and recover at home. During that time she could barely eat due to the pain in her throat and extreme pains in her abdomen and back. Tuesday morning she was very short of breathe, excruciating pain and out of fear and anxiety went back to the ER. Tuesday they ran labs and from the examination; determined there was fluid in her lungs which was causing the pain. Wednesday Doctors said it was pneumonia, quickly they saw from the X-rays there was so much liquid in her lungs the build up on the left hand side was putting pressure on her heart and causing the trouble breathing. That night they performed surgery to drain out both lungs. The left side was completey filled with the infectous liquid and pus.
Surgery appeared to be a sucess. To help with the breathing she was heavily sedated and intubated. She was then running a high fever of 103 and Doctors explained it as a result of the surgery. Friday they repeated the X-rays, unexpectedly her lungs were once again 90% filled! They then decided to do an endoscopy, which is when they put a camera down the throat. This is when they saw the abscess filled with pus. Which had been leaking the infectious liquid into her lungs. That night they performed another surgery and removed the abscess from the left side of her neck.
Her lungs are still draining. It is confimed that the bacterial infection did not effect her heart or kidneys. She remains heavily sedated and is still intubated and on the feeding tubes and countless medications. Fever is steady and now all we can do is wait for her body to be ready to breathe 100% on its own. We continue to remain positive and patiently wait for progress and her recovery.
We are reaching out and trying this platform to help with all her Medical Expenses since she does not have any Insurance. 25 years old, born in Brooklyn, raised in Florida and trying to make it on her own in Manhattan as of 2012. Any and all contrbutions will also help in covering her living expense so she doesn't lose her apartment. If any extra; her parents who have had to put in a Leave of Absence with their Jobs in Virgina [Mom] and Florida [Dad] will be able to use it for daily expenses while they are here.
She is my baby cousin and it hurts every day to see her in the state that she is in. She is very active, loves to walk and run everywhere and the best way to describe her is a little Polly Pocket. I am one of the oldest cousins and feel like the mother hen. She is my baby, shorty rock and someone as little as her has such big aspirations.
Either way we believe in the power of positive thoughts and all your well wishes will go a long way.