Cindy Slater with her medical bills and meds.

Hello. I have created this fundraiser to help my mom, Cindy Slater, with her medical bills and the cost of medications. For you to better understand what is going on, I have to tell you a brief story about her history. Cindy has been ill for quite some time due to what is known as "Short Gut Syndrome." Back in the 90s, Cindy was in a series of car accidents that led her to have many broken bones in her body, including a shattered femur and nearly amputated right foot, amongst many other injuries. As a result of being bedridden due to many injuries and surgical procedures, she gained weight. As a result of the weight gain, the bones in her leg were unable to heal.

After a long battle towards healing and many procedures later, she was forced to decide to have her leg amputated or have a radical weight loss surgery that would allow her to lose weight and allow for bone healing. She chose weight loss surgery over amputation. As a result, she lost weight and her bones were able to heal. She was also able to keep her leg/foot.

The weight loss surgery was radical and removed about 20 feet of her small intestine. We only have about 22 feet of small intestines in our bodies. She did okay with this for some time but has had several gastrointestinal complications throughout the years. In the past few years, mom's health has been diminishing due to short gut syndrome and the malnutrition associated with it. She simply can not absorb enough calories to sustain her body.

Recently, Cindy was hospitalized at Essentia Health for severe malnutrition related to her short gut syndrome. She was also diagnosed with blood clots in her leg and lung. On top of that, they have also discovered some abnormalities in her heart that they are not able to fully explore at this time due to her current health status. She is so malnourished that her body's albumin levels (protein) have dropped really low. One thing that albumin does in the body is help keep fluid that belongs inside of our cells to remain there. When albumin levels get low, fluid can leak out of the cells and cause fluid buildup in all the surrounding tissues. In mom's case, her legs swelled up so much and she was so exhausted at the same time that she could not lift her legs.

During her stay at the hospital, they have placed a central line so that she can receive daily IV infusions of TPN. TPN is a form of IV nutrition. After speaking with her doctor, I learned that mom will need TPN infusions daily for the rest of her life. This means that she will need to have an IV set up in her house and always have a central line in her body. She can still eat some food orally as tolerated but will always be reliant on TPN.

Right now, they have her "patched" up and are getting ready to send her home. Part of the discharge plan is for her to return home with nightly TPN infusions. The hospital care team (social worker, pharmacy, MD, ...etc) is working on a plan with a local pharmacy to handle these needs for her. She has also been put on an anticoagulant medication (blood thinner) for her blood clots and needs to be on that therapy for several months.

Mom recently discovered that her TPN would cost her $487 / WEEK and her blood thinner would cost $400 / month. She has out-of-pocket expenses of $2700 per year before insurance will start covering her medication. This means that she will pay $2700 this year and with only a little over two months left in the year, she will have to start it all over again in January of 2023.

Mom has been out of work for several months due to her health condition. Early in 2022, she fell down her stairs and broke her humorous (upper arm), requiring hospitalization, surgery, steel plates, physical therapy and more. During this time, she used up her allotted FMLA time. Now, as she is facing a new issue, she is being told she does not qualify for FMLA. Her employer of nearly 30 years has been giving her a hard time with back-and-forth "paperwork" and requirements for short-term disability, and she is currently in a dispute with them for receiving short-term disability. As of this time, she has been trying to get short-term disability approval for over two months, meaning she has not had income for that time either.

If you know Cindy, you know how much of a compassionate and caring person she is. You are probably also familiar with the number of hardships she has endured. She is a grandmother to 11 grandchildren and has been an avid volunteer for the VFW for many years. One of my mom's passions is to crochet blankets and give them away for free to family, friends, or as a donation. Over the years, she has made and donated hundreds of them for free.

Cindy is the kind of person who would help anyone she was able to but would never reach out for help for herself. So, I'm doing it for her. Any assistance you can offer will go a long way in helping Cindy get through this time. As her family, we appreciate you and your support. Thanks for taking the time to read this.