Support Lori’s Strengths- she can win her battles!

Hi! I’ve gotten to know Lori during the past few years through our employment. Lori thinks of me and brings me soft glazed donuts from Big Y’s bakery to support my work day. That might not seem like much, but I know that kind gestures like that make the world a safer place for all of us. We share a love for sunflowers and when Lori was sick she would send pictures of them to me…

Lori is in need of several thousand dollars by the end of June 2024 to have a surgery that will improve her quality of life. She has some other ongoing complicated health concerns happening to her too. Please read her story below in her own words. To me, it’s a story about resilience.

My name is Lori and my story begins late Dec. 2022, on the concern of my coworkers I sought medical treatment for yellowing skin & eyes. After an ER visit and lab work I received the call from my Dr. that I was very sick and needed to be admitted to the hospital. Jan 2,2023 I was admitted, I was having lab work performed constantly, having ultrasounds, scans & x rays while remaining hospitalized. After a liver specialist was consulted he diagnosed me with cirrhosis and kidney failure and gave me a life expectancy of roughly 60 days. I remained hospitalized until the end of January, at which time I was released but had appointments what seemed like every other day. I remained out of work and depleted my CT fmla benefits after 12 weeks and was permitted to return to work on 4/24/23. I returned to my job full time, shortly after I developed rapidly growing, painful sores on both lower legs. After 2 biopsies, a culture, numerous specialist visits and weekly visits to my local wound care center for monitoring and rebandaging. I was taking care of bandaging/medicating the other days of the week. The diagnosis was vasculitis. These continued to worsen even on high levels of steroids, specialists and weekly treatments. By late August my lower legs were extremely painful, the tissue had become necrotic and I was unstable on my feet. At this time, my employer, concerned for my safety, recommended I take time off to get proper medical treatment for my legs, which the doctors said was anesthetic debridement of both legs. I filed for short term disability and was admitted to the hospital for surgical intervention. After a few days of inpatient care and learning to walk with a cane I was allowed to return home. Within two days of returning home I was the sickest I have ever been. I packed my bag, called an Uber and went back to the hospital. This resulted in three exploratory laparotomies within a 36 hour period. At this time it was determined that my appendix had ruptured, leaked into my abdomen, and it was gangrenous and had also perforated my bowel lining. At that time, of course I was pretty much under anesthesia for days and mostly unaware of what was going on in my body and with my health. The doctors had to perform a life saving ostomy. I spent the next 6 weeks in ICU, on ventilators, tubes feeding and breathing for me, unable to walk and sometimes, seemed like I was non functioning. The doctors were very concerned about my health during all of this, I was very sick and diagnosed as severely malnourished, at my lowest weight since my teen years. By mid October I was released to an assisted living facility to continue to regain strength and weight, but more than anything, I had to learn to walk again. I started with a wheelchair, then a walker and finally a cane. I was released to go home the first week of November where I would continue home health visits, transportation to and from appointments. Upon returning to my home I found that my car had been repossessed due to non payment and my credit cards closed, hence my credit was trashed. My landlord, who has and continues to be a saint and allowed me to catch up as I could, as I was only earning 60% of my regular income. I am about to make my last payment to get totally current on my rent. On Jan 2, 2024 I was allowed to return to work, full time with lift restrictions. Obviously I had no vehicle for getting to and from my job, so I have relied on acquaintances lending me vehicles and renting cars. Renting cars is expensive. In order to pay for transportation to my job I had to start picking up extra shifts, overtime and any side jobs I could get and still am. I have been to many dealerships but without a cosigner or half down I cannot obtain financing but I also know I cannot continue to work 50+ hours a week to pay for a rental car. At the end of January I was cleared for my reversal surgery, however my surgeon is requiring $3400 down since I would need to meet my high insurance deductible, which again, I do not have. I also did not have enough taxes withheld from my short term disability and now owe the IRS and CT.

What I am hoping to achieve by sharing my story is raising enough money to pay my deductible to have this surgery, pay my taxes, continue treatments on my legs (which are still being medicated and bandaged daily). I would also love to have enough left to put toward a reliable, used vehicle. I am a very private & independent person, but my friend approached me about a Go Fund Me page, with hesitation but not seeing any other way out, I decided to share this, my story.

I would be more than appreciative of anything one can give, whether a financial donation or words of encouragement or positivity. Through all of this I have discovered how strong I truly am, with the love of my family and friends, strength and positivity I have overcome the odds and survived what I was not expected to. My liver specialist continues to follow me every 6 months or so, but my labs and scans are all unremarkable. What I would like to do at some point is speak in small groups about the healing properties of positivity by sharing my story and beating the odds when they were so stacked against me. I believe that more people can reach down deep inside themselves and pull this personality out too and feel the need to share my experience. It has been and continues to be a tough road but I wouldn't have it any other way. I came through this a different person than the one who went in.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and may you all have a blessed life, tell your loved ones everyday how much you love them and NEVER give up, no matter the odds you are facing!