Cheryl's Road to Recovery Fund
Donation protected
This year, Mother's Day was a day I will never forget. On Sunday, May 10th, my mother suffered from a sudden and completely unexpected medical emergency. I received a phone call at 6 AM from my mom that morning and immediately knew something was wrong. The day before was like any other day and we even had a great pre-Mother's Day cookout - so I thought why would my mom be calling me, on Mother's Day of all days, so early at 6 AM. She sounded in pain and explained she was awoken in the middle of the night to severe abdominal pain. She thought it would go away but it persisted through the night causing her to occasionally pass out. I rushed over and took her to the Emergency Room at Millard Fillmore Suburban, where she was taken for CT scans. Thinking any minute now she will be given medicine for the pain and we will be on our way, the doctor came in and gave us news that we were not expecting to hear. The scans confirmed she had a perforated bowel that was allowing air to escape outside the intestines. Because the scan did not show where the perforation was coming from, the doctors thought that perhaps the hole had closed on its own. So instead of going into an immediate surgery, which usually occurs in these kinds of cases, they admitted my mom for monitoring. They put a tube through her nose that went into her stomach and she was not allowed to eat or drink.
After a couple days, her condition did not seem to get any worse and on Tuesday she was taken for a second CT scan. We thought we were in the clear, however, the results came back and confirmed our worst fears. The hole in fact did not close on its own and now there was fluid leaking out of the intestines into the abdominal cavity. Due to the different types of bacteria in the intestines, leakage of intestinal contents allow for infection to develop within the abdominal cavity. If left untreated, perforation of the bowel can quickly progress to life threatening complications.
She was scheduled for an emergency surgery Tuesday evening. The plan was to start laparoscopically, which is a minimally invasive surgery, however if they could not repair the perforation laparoscopically, they would have to perform a more invasive surgery to remove part of the intestine with a possibility that a temporary colostomy may be needed.
When I saw the surgeon walk into the waiting room after an hour of surgery giving me two thumbs ups, I instantly felt a weight off of me. He explained that she has Diverticulitis and that inflammation in the sigmoid colon created a sack that burst, causing fluid and infection to leak into the abdominal. She has always been healthy and has never had any symptoms, which is why this took us and the doctors by surprise. That being said, they were able to repair the perforation laparoscopically and attached a drain to allow the fluid to be removed from the abdominal cavity without having to do a major surgery.
On Wednesday morning, they were able to take the tube out of her nose that went to her stomach, however, she was still not able to eat or drink. They are finally starting her on a liquid diet today, Thursday, May 14th, and we are being told she may have to stay in the hospital for another 4-5 days until she is on a normal solid diet. As long as there are no complications, she is expected to return to work Tuesday, May 26th.
Cheryl is a talented hairstylist, and for those who know her know she is a hardworking, caring and amazing woman. Over the past 13 years, she has been faced with multiple bumps in the road including replacing both hips and more recently having partial knee replacements in both knees, within months apart. She just cannot seem to catch a break. As a self employed hairdresser, there are no benefits or sick pay. When she cannot work, there is no income coming in. Because of this, my mom constantly worries when she is faced with medical problems. Unlike her previous surgeries, where she was able to plan and prepare for her time off, she was not financially ready for something like this to happen.
This fund would help to cover medical expenses, living expenses and income lost to allow her to focus on her recovery instead of stress about her finances.
One of my mom's favorite scriptures is "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future" Proverbs 31:25 . This couldn't describe her any better. She is the strongest person I know and is confident she will overcome this, just as she has every other battle thrown her way.
I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read this and truly appreciate all of your thoughts, prayers, and support.
After a couple days, her condition did not seem to get any worse and on Tuesday she was taken for a second CT scan. We thought we were in the clear, however, the results came back and confirmed our worst fears. The hole in fact did not close on its own and now there was fluid leaking out of the intestines into the abdominal cavity. Due to the different types of bacteria in the intestines, leakage of intestinal contents allow for infection to develop within the abdominal cavity. If left untreated, perforation of the bowel can quickly progress to life threatening complications.
She was scheduled for an emergency surgery Tuesday evening. The plan was to start laparoscopically, which is a minimally invasive surgery, however if they could not repair the perforation laparoscopically, they would have to perform a more invasive surgery to remove part of the intestine with a possibility that a temporary colostomy may be needed.
When I saw the surgeon walk into the waiting room after an hour of surgery giving me two thumbs ups, I instantly felt a weight off of me. He explained that she has Diverticulitis and that inflammation in the sigmoid colon created a sack that burst, causing fluid and infection to leak into the abdominal. She has always been healthy and has never had any symptoms, which is why this took us and the doctors by surprise. That being said, they were able to repair the perforation laparoscopically and attached a drain to allow the fluid to be removed from the abdominal cavity without having to do a major surgery.
On Wednesday morning, they were able to take the tube out of her nose that went to her stomach, however, she was still not able to eat or drink. They are finally starting her on a liquid diet today, Thursday, May 14th, and we are being told she may have to stay in the hospital for another 4-5 days until she is on a normal solid diet. As long as there are no complications, she is expected to return to work Tuesday, May 26th.
Cheryl is a talented hairstylist, and for those who know her know she is a hardworking, caring and amazing woman. Over the past 13 years, she has been faced with multiple bumps in the road including replacing both hips and more recently having partial knee replacements in both knees, within months apart. She just cannot seem to catch a break. As a self employed hairdresser, there are no benefits or sick pay. When she cannot work, there is no income coming in. Because of this, my mom constantly worries when she is faced with medical problems. Unlike her previous surgeries, where she was able to plan and prepare for her time off, she was not financially ready for something like this to happen.
This fund would help to cover medical expenses, living expenses and income lost to allow her to focus on her recovery instead of stress about her finances.
One of my mom's favorite scriptures is "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future" Proverbs 31:25 . This couldn't describe her any better. She is the strongest person I know and is confident she will overcome this, just as she has every other battle thrown her way.
I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read this and truly appreciate all of your thoughts, prayers, and support.
Organizer and beneficiary
Danielle Pompeo
Organizer
Buffalo, NY
Cheryl Pompeo
Beneficiary