#Help Leora & Family to Persevere and Conquer
Donation protected
My awesome, super-talented and kind friend Aaron Tank (former long-time Bemidji resident now living in Duluth. Please check out his music by looking up Aaron Tank music!♡) had written a song and asked me if I'd like to harmonize with him. When I read the song I felt attached to it, it's very powerful and happens to embody what I've been going through♡♡♡
(To watch the video you have to click on the video link, do not try to view it from below as that doesn't work♀️)
Hi! I'm Leora Jean (Johnson) Smith, I'm 42-yrs-old and unfortunately, I have relentlessly been battling for my health more than ever before and non-stop for the last 2 years.
I'm afraid that if I hadn't continuously advocated for good healthcare throughout this entire time, I would not be conquering my battles. Although I am overwhelmed, worn out and tired, things have recently started to fall into place and come together in regards to my opportunity to heal with medical care as best as possible!!
I honestly do not know what to tell in my story from this point on, it's very hard to construct this fundraiser on my own. I apologize in advance that it's lengthy as I try to explain how my health went awry and all sorts of other big things derailed in my/our life throughout the same time.
#givingtuesday
-In desperation for better care, I called a coordinator of my healthcare clinic. I learned that I could enroll for the help of a Nurse Care Manager who has been proving to Actually Care About Me, Listen To Me & Understand My Needs. She has singlehandedly pushed my now former Primary Care Dr to make some very important referrals that I'd been asking about and hoping for throughout most of this year.
-My Primary Care Dr of the last 2 years has proven to be abusive towards me. She never cared about me enough, did not listen to me very well, did not make a point to offer me very much knowledge about the things I was going through, or willingly offer me advice and/or referrals to specialists.
-I learned about the chronic conditions specialty of Internal Medicine Doctors from my Nurse Manager and it was she who worked hard to find one for me who was accepting new patients. My now former Primary Care Dr should have taught me about Internal Medicine and admitted that it would be the best for the both of us for her to have "let go of the reigns" and referred me over to one any time in the last 2 years.
-I Finally, Correctly have all of my former and current chronic pain diagnoses set in stone after being seen by my new Pain Management Dr for hours, and he's the 1st person, an extremely knowledgeable & vetted Dr who actually understands All of my pain issues.
-Now all of my medical staff Finally knows and understands How to Help Me with each of my needs.
-The UNBEARABLE weight of all of the above has Finally been lifted off of my shoulders, now allowing me to actually heal better.
Diagnoses, the Most Frightening one first:
- GIST, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, a sarcoma that was removed, oral chemo treatment, and now I am in very stable remission.
- Fibromyalgia with debilitating flares secondary to everything else.
- Piriformis Syndrome
- Diseases of the cervical spine.
- Chronic pain syndrome, secondarily took over my body due to all of this.
- Chronic headaches, migraines. Currently weaning off of Ibuprofen due to rebound headaches.
- Terrible Mid & lumbar back pain, MRI in the end of Nov.
- Mid last year, 2 tooth infections a month apart, each requiring a root canal with one having to be performed out of town. As much pain as my body has ever been through, I Have To Say, There is NO PAIN LIKE THAT OF SEVERE TOOTH PAIN!! These were caused from the stomach acid rising from all GI issues related to the cancerous tumor in my stomach.
- Severe menstrual conditions.
- GI symptoms have reoccured, 2nd endoscopy soon. I'm very nervous as to what is currently now causing this! One Dr thinks the amount of Ibuprofen that I've had to take might have damaged my stomach. The other hypothesis is whether or not the stomach resection from my surgery ever healed properly.
- Severe iron-deficient anemia, twice now, secondary to everything else. Mind you, I asked my Dr for months to review my bloodwork and suffered more & more while she put it off to the point that it was severe again.
- Neuropathy, some extreme nerve pain throughout my body, especially my arms & hands. I've recently learned that my trapezious, lower back and "rotator cuff of the booty & hip" are as hard as a wire tightrope and are causing nerve impingements.
- Need to see Orthopedics for my fatigued, painful and cramped up hands with "trigger finger" having developed in my thumbs.
- Mental health conditions that I focus on working through every single day. I'm not ashamed to admit that a huge cancer scare, the continued unknown of mounting health issues, Chronic Stress and debilitating pain REALLY takes a toll on a person's mind.
- Although most people do not look at me & realize, I've suffered the disabling fact of Severe & Chronic Stress for as long as I can remember. I used to joke in my head during my adult life that "this stress is going to kill me someday!" Well.......
THIS FUNDRAISER IS FOR ME....AND I WILL SHARE ANY GOOD TIDINGS WITH MY FAMILY, OF COURSE. I wanted and Needed to make that point clear, because my hubby has not been too keen with me creating a fundraiser of this specific kind, one where everyone can read our unfortunate and raw truths. I remind him, We Surely Didn't Ask For, Nor Do We Deserve All of This! The "WHYS" have taken a toll on usIt is So Hard to ask for help, let alone monetary help. As some of you know, and many had helped with, I've tried to find means of financial support for us in other creative ways throughout all of this. My prior social media effort of my own design for shirts sales early this year went well, and I'm So Thankful for that!
My husband has been working as hard and as much as he can to keep us afloat, he's picked up So Many extra on call shifts this year & last. It's Most Certainly Not Lack of Hard Work and Providing For Us that is the issue here, rather, it is all of the unexpected and continuous misfortune that has kept us barely above water. We sure can't seem to "catch a break." I'm Proud of my husband for waking up each day and trying his best to get us all through it, no matter what challenges are being faced!!
I'm also proud of myself!! I guess you could say that the MN Smith family is as resilient as they come!
3 days after this photo of me was taken,
I had my 1st endoscopy Sept 22' & found out I had a mass in my stomach that needed to be removed in 3 days time. It was my 1st surgery, and quite a big laporascopy, 4 smaller incisions & 1 larger one where the 5.8cm single sarcoma tumor was removed. It is mind blowing and miraculous. GIST cancer is generally not caught in the earler stages. Thank God that the tumor was blocking some of my esophagus which eventually led to the symptom of food stacking in my throat which had finally prompted the endoscopy referral. GIST only occurs in 5-6,000 people in the U.S. each year!
I had to quit working 1.5 years ago when I felt extremely ill every day. That was the same time- frame that inflation hit an all time high. Ive diligently been working all year towards receiving Social Security Dissability, at least for the last year of mine being taken over by cancer. SSD is hard to obtain and it does take a long time and statistics show that most applicants are denied the 1st time and must push on with an appeal. It's been very nerve-racking losing an income, constantly building up well over 100 types of medical copays, so many other things in our life derailing at the same time, and working so hard on a potential approval from the SS Administration in my time of need.
HERE IS THE LAUNDRY LIST OF THE OTHER BIG & MAJOR PROBLEMS WE'VE BEEN HAVING
*a washing machine on the verge of dying, Mike has fixed it until now. We frugally had bought it "scratched & dented" at Maytag and plan to do-so again. It's lasted us many years. A new one, even marked down is $275+.
*our 2 vehicles having just been fixed, Mike fixed one himself and the other was $450. One or the other is always in need of being fixed. Last year the entire engine of the CRV became non-repairable and had to be replaced. **One vehicle is in need of new tires before winter and we are stressed as to whether or not we will get that done soon.
*Now This Is Nuts.....A Major electrical problem in our 100-year-old house occured this last summer. We can't put off much longer, the necessity of an electric inspector and repairs as we had a 2nd outlet issue happen and this time it caught on fire!! Research has shown that a project like this, fixing & replacing wires & outlets, updating the electric box, the inspection, etc, could cost upwards of $5000 to literally $15000 depending upon all issues. This is the type of work that requires a loan taken out or added to.
*We have multiple windows in this home that #desperately need to be replaced as soon as possible.
*We already, currently have 2 loans out for this house, the car engine, etc. We are nervous to add more money to either of them. And honestly, we haven't spoken to a banker to find out how much room we have to do-so.
*I've created a decent amount of credit card debt due to both necessity and in order to have or to do most of the "extras." That bill is steep each month and we're always hoping not to add to it. We need to get it down to a reasonable amount. **Even our dog's annual, routine vet care with their up-to-date vaccines, kennel cough vaccine, an extra allergies vaccine, 1 4-way test, and coat conditioner for allergies =$750, That Is An Example of Credit Card Necessity
*Our Laurel's Graduation, Big 18th Birthday, and purchasing some of her Senior Pictures
*it's almost the major holidays time of the year
*it's important, a big sport for Mitch, snowboarding season. Mitch is also currently in driver's ed class (and rocking it), he's enjoying this opportunity and looks forward to passing his written test soon and then getting to learn to drive behind the wheel with an instructor.
**I just want Sheer quality time with my growing-up teenagers**
*Lastly, Despite Everything Else, I Know That Im Crazy Over This & DESPERATE-FEELING, but I long for a Family Vacation. A chance to get out of these walls and with the opportunity to do nothing but Focus on My Family!! I NEED A BREAK FROM DEALING WITH & THINKING ABOUT AND FEELING MY EVERYTHING EVERY DAY It's been 3+ years since we've left MN together. I Hope and Pray for an opportunity of this kind before our daughter heads off to college next fall. I've BEEN ROBBED from So Many opportunities throughout the last 2 years and even prior to that, Ive had Far Too Many Instances Taken Away From Me to just be with & hang out with my husband and kids like I normally want to for the duration of all of it. They live under my roof, yet I miss them all. -I've been suffering a Great Deal of Grief& Trauma due to these things.
**This Is Me, No Longer hiding behind a smile and not as much as usual focusing on caring for others at this time, for now. As far as caring the best I can for my spouse & kids, I still do my very best as I deal with my personal misfortune because I wouldn't have it any other way!!♡♡ , my health battles, especially pain & fatigue, a plethora of appointments, my mental health, and being forced to use any "good days" to try my best to enjoy my family or clean my house to a point that I am comfortable and content; I've become somewhat or even quite isolated.
I know that I will get back into the world and be a part of my extended family and friend's lives, and my community per normal; I have just needed to get through everything to the best of my ability, first. As Difficult and Troubling as it has been for me I've Had to Learn to Actually Put Myself 1st❣️❣️
Among it all, we've had little to no peaceful breaks, and truthfully very little calm between each storm. We need our village's support and beyond right now until we Conquer These Battles as much as possible and Get Back On Our Feet A Whole Bunch More♡♡
We are SO APPRECIATIVE for Literally Anything & Everything -there is nothing too small to #help provide weight off of our shoulders & stress off of our minds
#majorproblems #moneyproblems #personalfundraiser #GoFundMeMedical #GoFundMeHelp #GoFundMe #health #family #love #hope
Organizer
Leora Smith
Organizer
Bemidji, MN