Heidi G. Needs Surgery!

Heidi Grunenwald had a freak accident that left her with comminuted (fragmented) facial fractures to three parts of her face, shattering her right cheekbone (zygomatic arch), maxilla (upper right jaw), and orbital wall (around eye). These painful injuries require multiple surgeries to repair and have damaged her ability to open her mouth or eat normal food. We are trying to help our dear friend fund the procedures she urgently needs to regain normal function—because anyone who knows Heidi knows that she'll do anything she can to help when another is in need.
WHAT HAPPENED? MURPHY'S LAW.

On July 14th, Heidi was found lying face-down and bleeding on her hardwood floor by a friend. She had fainted after she and her husband Jay were pushing to meet to moving deadlines in a heat wave. CT scans confirmed she had serious breaks to the bones in much of the right side of her face, and if she opens her mouth past about an inch, part of her mandible (coronoid process) hits against broken bones inside her cheek. An immediate surgery attempted to correct this, but the delicate bones didn't stay in place and require a more intensive procedure.

The timing was devastating. Heidi was planning to relocate from California to Upstate NY this summer to spend time helping her family care for her dad, who has late-stage Alzheimer's. She would work remotely as she has done for the past 14 years with the same employer. But in early June, Heidi was blindsided in a company layoff that left her with very limited finances, and a short carryover with health insurance that has terminated.

She and Jay are doing everything they can to pare down and support themselves and each other through this difficult time, but the difficulty in finding a new job while recovering from a broken face is hard to imagine.

One bright side is Heidi has discussed starting a position with a new employer as soon as she's recovered, but the costs of medical attention and recovery time while unemployed have been astronomical. Everything that could have gone wrong, did...and it couldn't have happened at a worse time nor to a kinder person.

The $22,000 we hope to raise will go directly to Heidi's outstanding bills:

- Hospital bills not covered by insurance (incl. ER doctor evaluation and CT scans) - $5,800
- Balance owed reconstructive surgeons - close to $7,200
  (incl. consultations with 2 doctors, additional x-rays, and balance due from 7/23 surgery--Heidi & Jay paid half of surgery upfront, some was paid by insurance before it terminated) 
- Small portion of upcoming maxillofacial surgery due upfront, plus directly associated costs (to repair cheekbone, realign jaw and correct orbital fractures) - $9,000 

We hope we will be able to help Jay and Heidi raise the funds needed so she can schedule her much needed surgery quickly, and get back on her feet. On behalf of Heidi, Jay, and their loved ones, THANK YOU!

Heidi's friends, Scott and Jiin.