Emily Fix’s Road to Recovery Fund
Donation protected
I’d Like You to Meet Emily…
Hi, my name is Susan Gillett and I’d like you to meet Emily Fix. Emily is a 21 year old Elementary/Special Education major at Millersville University, where she has been on the Dean’s List every semester. She is a natural with children and has always dreamed of being a teacher. Emily is also very involved with her church, St. Leo the Great, located in her hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She has been been a part of Youth Ministry there since the 6th grade, and has helped teach Sunday School and other youth programs for the last seven years. Emily also loves sports; whether cheering on her beloved Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Flyers or coaching soccer like she does now at Lancaster Catholic High School, you’ll often find Em wearing one of her (many) sports-related t-shirts.
Why Emily Means so Much to Me
As you can tell, I think Emily’s a very special person. We met when she was in my son Eric’s class in 4th grade and we hit it off with our mutual love of sports and goofy senses of humor. That’s when I became “Mama G”. In fact Emily helped me when I coached 8th grade boys soccer. Over the years our families have become very close too; going on vacation together, having game nights and helping each other when things were tough. When I got the chicken pox at age 48, it was Emily’s mom, Laura, that came to sit with me so my husband could go to work. When I ended up in the hospital the night before movers were coming to move us downtown, it was Laura that showed up at 7am and stayed all day. And John that came after work to pitch in. Now it’s my turn to try and help.
When Bad Things Happen…
We hear it all the time: “Bad things happen to the nicest people.” But when that “bad thing” suddenly strikes someone you love, it can be difficult to come to terms with. This April, Emily wasn’t feeling well. She visited her doctor’s office where she was diagnosed with the flu. By Monday, 2 days later, Emily was feeling worse and her breathing had become labored. After consulting with Emily’s doctor her mom decided Emily should be seen in the ER, thinking perhaps the flu had led to pneumonia. At the ER her chest x-ray was negative and Emily was sent home. By Wednesday night it was obvious something was seriously wrong. After already having been sick twice that day, Emily was throwing up again. She told her parents “I can’t get off the floor, call an ambulance. I need to go to the ER.” At the hospital a CT was ordered of Emily’s lungs to rule out a blood clot. There was no blood clot, instead Emily had the largest liver abscess the doctor had ever seen. She was immediately admitted and moved to ICU. Later that day Emily was transferred by ambulance to Hershey Medical Center, so she could receive treatment by a team specializing in cases involving the liver. After arrival Emily was intubated and taken to have a drain inserted into her liver. She was heavily sedated and remained intubated for four days. At this point Emily had become septic and it was important she rest, as the sepsis was causing multiple organ failure to begin. During this time a second drain needed to be placed to help with the abscess.
Finally Home – But Not Over Yet…
After 6 days in ICU, Emily was transferred to a regular room. A week and ½ after being taken to the ER in an ambulance, Emily finally came home with 2 tubes inserted into her liver that drain into bags she has to carry around. These drains and their entry site are flushed by her mom twice a day. Emily is on very strong antibiotics and other medications due to various complications. She has already undergone a procedure to move the placement of one of the drains and she returns to Hershey for CT scans every 2 weeks to monitor the abscess. Recently Emily was seen in the Hershey ER for what turned out to be a pleural effusion. She underwent surgery to drain a liter of fluid from around her lungs. Coming up soon is another procedure for a drain change and upsize. Even with Home Health visits 2 – 3 times a week, Emily’s family has had to take on much of her medical care and treatment.
Why a Go Fund Me?
Emily and her parents feel very blessed with family, friends and clergy that have given their time to visit and deliver meals. Prayers from home and literally around the world have supported them tremendously. But it’s a fact of life that with medical treatment there are bills to pay, and those medical bills are arriving daily. Emily is covered under her father’s medical plan, but like many plans today, they have a substantial deductible to pay first. Emily’s parents have been by her side through all of this and that has meant time away from work. Laura works full-time and her job, and those she works with, have been great about giving her time to be with Emily. But because she is out of vacation time, the days she doesn’t work mean days she isn’t bringing in income. John, Emily’s dad, is in a similar situation. He does IT contract work and has no paid time off. John is back to work now that Emily is home, but he continues to miss work when Emily has a procedure scheduled. This has led to a shortfall in the family’s finances. John and Laura don’t want Emily to worry because stress definitely makes her feel worse, but the continuing missed income is having an impact. Not only is there the deductible to meet, but there are Home Health visits 2 – 3 times a week and ongoing prescriptions to be filled. They pay for all of Emily’s medical supplies (gauze, pads, gloves, antiseptics, etc.) from their own pocket. Emily too has been financially impacted by her illness. She had recently been hired to be on staff this summer for Catholic HEART WorkCamp. Emily was so excited to spend the summer traveling the country as staff with an organization she had been a part of since eighth grade. She will not only miss the experience, she will not receive the $4,000 income she was planning on using for college next semester. In addition to that, Emily will also lose the $800 - $1000 she stood to make as a nanny and babysitter the month of May.
What Will the Money I Donate be Used For?
All funds raised through Emily’s Road to Recovery Fund will go directly to help the Fix Family pay Emily’s medical bills, medical supplies and expenses related to Emily’s ongoing care. In addition, the lost income Emily would have made ($4800-$5000) will go towards her tuition and books this fall as she had intended. Emily has a long road ahead of her, but with your donation she and her family can focus on what’s important. Emily. Thank you so much for taking the time to “Meet Emily”!
Hi, my name is Susan Gillett and I’d like you to meet Emily Fix. Emily is a 21 year old Elementary/Special Education major at Millersville University, where she has been on the Dean’s List every semester. She is a natural with children and has always dreamed of being a teacher. Emily is also very involved with her church, St. Leo the Great, located in her hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She has been been a part of Youth Ministry there since the 6th grade, and has helped teach Sunday School and other youth programs for the last seven years. Emily also loves sports; whether cheering on her beloved Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Flyers or coaching soccer like she does now at Lancaster Catholic High School, you’ll often find Em wearing one of her (many) sports-related t-shirts. Why Emily Means so Much to Me
As you can tell, I think Emily’s a very special person. We met when she was in my son Eric’s class in 4th grade and we hit it off with our mutual love of sports and goofy senses of humor. That’s when I became “Mama G”. In fact Emily helped me when I coached 8th grade boys soccer. Over the years our families have become very close too; going on vacation together, having game nights and helping each other when things were tough. When I got the chicken pox at age 48, it was Emily’s mom, Laura, that came to sit with me so my husband could go to work. When I ended up in the hospital the night before movers were coming to move us downtown, it was Laura that showed up at 7am and stayed all day. And John that came after work to pitch in. Now it’s my turn to try and help.
When Bad Things Happen…
We hear it all the time: “Bad things happen to the nicest people.” But when that “bad thing” suddenly strikes someone you love, it can be difficult to come to terms with. This April, Emily wasn’t feeling well. She visited her doctor’s office where she was diagnosed with the flu. By Monday, 2 days later, Emily was feeling worse and her breathing had become labored. After consulting with Emily’s doctor her mom decided Emily should be seen in the ER, thinking perhaps the flu had led to pneumonia. At the ER her chest x-ray was negative and Emily was sent home. By Wednesday night it was obvious something was seriously wrong. After already having been sick twice that day, Emily was throwing up again. She told her parents “I can’t get off the floor, call an ambulance. I need to go to the ER.” At the hospital a CT was ordered of Emily’s lungs to rule out a blood clot. There was no blood clot, instead Emily had the largest liver abscess the doctor had ever seen. She was immediately admitted and moved to ICU. Later that day Emily was transferred by ambulance to Hershey Medical Center, so she could receive treatment by a team specializing in cases involving the liver. After arrival Emily was intubated and taken to have a drain inserted into her liver. She was heavily sedated and remained intubated for four days. At this point Emily had become septic and it was important she rest, as the sepsis was causing multiple organ failure to begin. During this time a second drain needed to be placed to help with the abscess.
Finally Home – But Not Over Yet…
After 6 days in ICU, Emily was transferred to a regular room. A week and ½ after being taken to the ER in an ambulance, Emily finally came home with 2 tubes inserted into her liver that drain into bags she has to carry around. These drains and their entry site are flushed by her mom twice a day. Emily is on very strong antibiotics and other medications due to various complications. She has already undergone a procedure to move the placement of one of the drains and she returns to Hershey for CT scans every 2 weeks to monitor the abscess. Recently Emily was seen in the Hershey ER for what turned out to be a pleural effusion. She underwent surgery to drain a liter of fluid from around her lungs. Coming up soon is another procedure for a drain change and upsize. Even with Home Health visits 2 – 3 times a week, Emily’s family has had to take on much of her medical care and treatment.
Why a Go Fund Me?
Emily and her parents feel very blessed with family, friends and clergy that have given their time to visit and deliver meals. Prayers from home and literally around the world have supported them tremendously. But it’s a fact of life that with medical treatment there are bills to pay, and those medical bills are arriving daily. Emily is covered under her father’s medical plan, but like many plans today, they have a substantial deductible to pay first. Emily’s parents have been by her side through all of this and that has meant time away from work. Laura works full-time and her job, and those she works with, have been great about giving her time to be with Emily. But because she is out of vacation time, the days she doesn’t work mean days she isn’t bringing in income. John, Emily’s dad, is in a similar situation. He does IT contract work and has no paid time off. John is back to work now that Emily is home, but he continues to miss work when Emily has a procedure scheduled. This has led to a shortfall in the family’s finances. John and Laura don’t want Emily to worry because stress definitely makes her feel worse, but the continuing missed income is having an impact. Not only is there the deductible to meet, but there are Home Health visits 2 – 3 times a week and ongoing prescriptions to be filled. They pay for all of Emily’s medical supplies (gauze, pads, gloves, antiseptics, etc.) from their own pocket. Emily too has been financially impacted by her illness. She had recently been hired to be on staff this summer for Catholic HEART WorkCamp. Emily was so excited to spend the summer traveling the country as staff with an organization she had been a part of since eighth grade. She will not only miss the experience, she will not receive the $4,000 income she was planning on using for college next semester. In addition to that, Emily will also lose the $800 - $1000 she stood to make as a nanny and babysitter the month of May.
What Will the Money I Donate be Used For?
All funds raised through Emily’s Road to Recovery Fund will go directly to help the Fix Family pay Emily’s medical bills, medical supplies and expenses related to Emily’s ongoing care. In addition, the lost income Emily would have made ($4800-$5000) will go towards her tuition and books this fall as she had intended. Emily has a long road ahead of her, but with your donation she and her family can focus on what’s important. Emily. Thank you so much for taking the time to “Meet Emily”!
Organizer and beneficiary
Sue Jensen Gillett
Organizer
Lancaster, PA
Laura Fix
Beneficiary