Help Make Linda Whole Again!
Donation protected
Some of you know Linda, and others may have heard me describe her - one of the gentlest and most courageous women I have ever known. Here she is communing with a goat and newborn kid - one of my favorite photos of Linda!
I am appealing to you to help with funding the final stage of Linda's recovery from a life-threatening medical emergency - a surgery to restore her digestive tract and make her whole again.
Linda and her husband, Rick, have lived their long lives in remote locations and under challenging conditions - raising their son in the wilds of Kodiak, Alaska, sailing their hand-built catamaran in the Sea of Cortes and most recently care-taking a remote ranch in the rough desert of Baja California Sur, Mexico. They live on a shoestring of social security income and are experts at scraping their needs from what they find around them. As permanent residents of Mexico, they have immersed themselves in the Mexican culture and won good friends among the farmers and ranchers in their area.
About 6 months ago, Linda suddenly became critically ill from a ruptured lower intestine and the massive infection that it created. She was taken by ambulance to a major hospital in La Paz, BCS and was immediately operated on to remove the damaged intestine and to treat the infection that threatened her life. I joined her there to help with her care. Here she is after her surgery.
After two weeks in the hospital and several frightening setbacks, she was finally well enough to return home - but not "home free". She was wearing a colostomy bag and facing the maintenance of her new "apparatus" for months to come and under the rugged conditions of the ranch. Luckily for Linda and Rick, the cost of her surgery and hospitalization was almost entirely covered by Mexico's national health program which was available to them as permanent residents.
Her surgeon had advised her as she left the hospital that in 4-6 months she would be evaluated for the second surgery which would restore her normal digestive path. That time has finally arrived and she has been approved for surgery... but now the cost has become a serious stumbling block.
Mexico's national health system is in shambles, transitioning from an old program to a new one and leaving thousands of Mexicans, and Linda, without a confident or timely process to meet their health needs. Linda's surgeon has agreed to take Linda on as a private patient, to perform the surgery and see her through her recovery. The cost, however, while amazingly little by US standards, is prohibitive for Linda and Rick who have no spare funds. They will be required to pay the peso equivalent of around $5,000 USD which will cover pre-op costs, the surgery and a minimum of 5 days hospitalization and post-op care.
Linda's surgery is scheduled for late March - about a month from the start of this campaign. I will be with her again, while Rick remains with his duties on the ranch. I am appealing to her friends, far and near, to help us with the cost. Any contribution in any amount will be appreciated, and there is no one more deserving of support and care than Linda. She will love you for your gift!
Please help me to see her healthy and whole again!
I am appealing to you to help with funding the final stage of Linda's recovery from a life-threatening medical emergency - a surgery to restore her digestive tract and make her whole again.
Linda and her husband, Rick, have lived their long lives in remote locations and under challenging conditions - raising their son in the wilds of Kodiak, Alaska, sailing their hand-built catamaran in the Sea of Cortes and most recently care-taking a remote ranch in the rough desert of Baja California Sur, Mexico. They live on a shoestring of social security income and are experts at scraping their needs from what they find around them. As permanent residents of Mexico, they have immersed themselves in the Mexican culture and won good friends among the farmers and ranchers in their area.
About 6 months ago, Linda suddenly became critically ill from a ruptured lower intestine and the massive infection that it created. She was taken by ambulance to a major hospital in La Paz, BCS and was immediately operated on to remove the damaged intestine and to treat the infection that threatened her life. I joined her there to help with her care. Here she is after her surgery.
After two weeks in the hospital and several frightening setbacks, she was finally well enough to return home - but not "home free". She was wearing a colostomy bag and facing the maintenance of her new "apparatus" for months to come and under the rugged conditions of the ranch. Luckily for Linda and Rick, the cost of her surgery and hospitalization was almost entirely covered by Mexico's national health program which was available to them as permanent residents.
Her surgeon had advised her as she left the hospital that in 4-6 months she would be evaluated for the second surgery which would restore her normal digestive path. That time has finally arrived and she has been approved for surgery... but now the cost has become a serious stumbling block.
Mexico's national health system is in shambles, transitioning from an old program to a new one and leaving thousands of Mexicans, and Linda, without a confident or timely process to meet their health needs. Linda's surgeon has agreed to take Linda on as a private patient, to perform the surgery and see her through her recovery. The cost, however, while amazingly little by US standards, is prohibitive for Linda and Rick who have no spare funds. They will be required to pay the peso equivalent of around $5,000 USD which will cover pre-op costs, the surgery and a minimum of 5 days hospitalization and post-op care.
Linda's surgery is scheduled for late March - about a month from the start of this campaign. I will be with her again, while Rick remains with his duties on the ranch. I am appealing to her friends, far and near, to help us with the cost. Any contribution in any amount will be appreciated, and there is no one more deserving of support and care than Linda. She will love you for your gift!
Please help me to see her healthy and whole again!
Organizer and beneficiary
Ruth Bennett
Organizer
Hilo, HI
Linda Kasprzak
Beneficiary