Help Dara and Chase Recover

Hi everyone,

 

My name is Dara Stephens. I reach out to you as I know that in hard times, it is okay that we lean on those we love. If you find moved in your heart to help, thank you. We will be just as happy with prayers!

 

In November of this year, Chase had hernia surgery. It was pre-scheduled and all went well. With that surgery, however, Chase missed about 10 days of work. Shortly after having recovered from hernia surgery, he tested positive for COVID in the middle of his busiest work time of the year. Because Chase and I live with each other and are in such close contact, even though I have had COVID and am vaccinated, I was made to quarantine as well. This put both of us out for a combined total of around two weeks of work. As I am an employee of the service industry, any shift not worked is a drastic cut into our finances.

 

About a week ago, I started having a sore throat. Sore throats are weird for me because I've had my tonsils taken out and rarely get them. Some days I would wake up for the worse, others for the better, until about three days in, when things just continually got worse. Yesterday, on 12/28, I went to the Emergency Room. Pus was leaking from the back of my throat, and I needed it opened by a professional. A doctor poked it with a needle, getting a little fluid, and sent me home with pain medicine and antibiotics.

 

I woke up every 4-5 hours in the middle of the night in excruciating pain, and I would take advil/pain medicine and try to go back to sleep. When I looked in my throat this morning at 6 am, my uvula was so big it was blocking my airways. My throat was raging, red, white, and severely infected. Back to the Emergency Room I went.

 

An ENT specialist performed a culture, extraction, and ultimately, a 1/2 inch laceration to the back of my throat, releasing over 2 TBSP of infection. What I had was called a "peritonsillar abscess", which can start from the same bacteria that causes strep throat.

 

Many of you probably know or remember, but for those of you who don't, I am a "MRSA carrier." This means that I am far more prone to contracting/developing complications from MRSA than other people. The culture from this procedure will likely come back positive for MRSA. (I've had over 30 spots of MRSA on my body--I stopped getting them cultured after the 5th one as it is expensive and ultimately unnecessary). This particular incident was extremely scary as I have never had MRSA inside my body before. Thoughts of sepsis riddled me all morning. I am extremely lucky to receive the care I did this morning at Via Christi Hospital.

 

If it were only this morning's mishap, I wouldn't be reaching out and asking for help. But because of the hernia surgery, COVID, and now this, Chase and I have a pretty long road ahead of us in recovering financially. For some reason God put it on Chase and I's hearts to work in social work and we all know that career path pays in the heart and not in the pocket book. Any little bit helps.

 

I have gross pictures from all of this but figured I would spare the public the gory details. If you want to see them, text me and I'll send you one, as I know you guys are probably weirdos and are interested in that stuff.

Funds raised will go to pay for Chase's surgery, Dara's hospital bills, and rent. 

 

We love you all and appreciate the help,

 

--Dara, Chase, and Nug