Astrid Wistedt

First let us introduce ourselves. We are Cheryl & Kelly (both nurses) and we are humbly ask for help for our friend and fellow nurse, Astrid.  Astrid is a person who has been there for many people in their time of need and now she is in need.

On July 21st, Astrid, her daughter and her daughter's girlfriend all boarded a cruise ship for what was supposed to be a week in paradise in the Bahamas to get away from all of the life stressors. That evening, while at sea, Astrid suffered a heart attack and became critically ill. It's absolutely amazing that the medical staff on the ship kept her alive and as stable as possible and whoever they are, they should be commended.

Once the ship made it to port, Astrid was flown back to Ft Lauderdale and that is where she has remained for the past month.  With that being said, Astrid went 24 hours (give or take) from the heart attack to the cath lab and at this point, she has only a fraction of normal heart function and is not a candidate for transplant. Her heart function can improve somewhat with meds and an internal defibrillator may be something that will be needed in the future to keep her as healthy as possible. 

But healing is going to take lots of time. Currently, Astrid is only able to sit up unassisted on a good day and sometimes is not able to even do that.  She also has a severe pressure ulcer that is extremely serious and very painful. The newest issue is that Astrid is making small improvements to the point where she will soon be eligible for hospital discharge. This is good news but poses new major issues. She is not eligible to go to a rehab facility due to the wound. She could go to a nursing home but her doctor is hesitant to suggest that due to the huge risk of infection which would kill her. So the issue is that even though she has insurance, the copays will still be astronomical for all the care she has received to date and will continue to need for a while to come.

Then there is the trip home. Ft Lauderdale is 9-10 hours away and she will need medical transport of some sort which will be expensive, even with insurance.  Due to her limited functional status, some major renovations are needed in Astrid's home to accommodate her. The best possible situation is that she can get around in a wheelchair by the time she comes home which may be as soon as the end of this week.

Astrid will be unable to work for an unknown period of time and if she's unable to go back, may end up in a situation where she has no insurance or where she may have to pay COBRA insurance which is extremely expensive. All of the medications that Astrid takes are a matter of life and death so they are not optional. 

Astrid had a huge prayer circle when she was critical and all of those prayers kept her alive & fighting, along with the amazing medical staff at Broward Medical. Now that we still have her on this Earth, Astrid needs both moral & financial support. She would be one of the first to be there if this was someone else and most all of us are just a major injury or illness away from the same situation. So if there is any possible way anyone can help, no donation is too small and it would be greatly appreciated.

If you've made it to the end, thank you so much for reading!