Help Saeli & her shattered ankle!
Donation protected
Hello internet world! My name is Saeli and I urgently need financial assistance to help with my medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and living expenses while recovering from a fairly catastrophic broken ankle injury and reconstructive surgery that has put me out of work for at least three months.
A month ago, I was walking home to my apartment in NYC with a friend near Central Park when a simple trip and fall off a curb in a very tall & unstable heeled boot led to my literal downfall. When I fell, I laughed at my own clumsiness but quickly realized that I couldn't stand up. We had to call an ambulance which took me to a (thankfully, nearby) hospital and spent the night in their ER--mostly waiting, but also getting X-rays and a splint. After a few hours I got the news I didn't want: it was broken, and on top of that in at least three places. I was sent home with some pain meds and an appointment for a follow-up appointment to discuss surgery plans three days later.
Luckily my father--who already had a flight to the East Coast from LA to see his ailing mother--was able to divert his trip to get to me less than two days later. (Of course, in poorer luck, my roommate was out of town for a week starting the day before my injury so I had to make do entirely alone until he arrived, minus the assistance of my cousin in securing some food and my prescriptions.) We managed to get an appointment with an orthopedic specialist who did a CT scan and revealed that it was far worse than just three breaks; I had broken two bones, one on either side of my ankle and while there were three larger breaks there were many smaller fractures and bone fragments that would require surgery he did not feel he was capable of completing himself.
I live in a fifth floor walk-up in New York City and the physical stress of getting up and down those stairs with a very unstable broken ankle on crutches meant that there was no real way I could stay in NYC while recovering. I also live in a prewar apartment building with a hallway and a bathroom so narrow I couldn't even properly practice correct usage of my crutches in my own home. So, the next step in my recovery was actually getting me across the country back to LA where I could be in a single-story home with parents who would be able to assist me in all the "fun" tasks I could no longer do on my own, like carrying things or washing my face at the sink. Let me tell you being a totally independent and self-sufficient 24-year-old who lives on a coast opposite her family, it has been quite a mental blow to be immobilized in my childhood bedroom now instead.
The day after I flew into LA I had an appointment with my amazing doctor, Dr. Eric Tan, who has ended up being my surgeon and doctor throughout my recovery process thus far. He took more X-rays, got me out of a splint and into a cast and most importantly, put my mind at ease that while the break was bad, he had no concerns about his ability to fix it and my ability to recover fully (except for my newfound imminent ankle arthritis). From there I had more CT scans, got another cast after persistent problems with the first, and prepped myself for surgery. Surgery ended up being a three-hour ordeal, in which I received a nerve block catheter in my thigh to numb my leg and then had two plates, numerous screws, and two staples put in to hold my variously lonesome bones together. I lucked out in that I only needed two incisions rather than the anticipated three to fix the mess that used to be my ankle.
I got out of surgery late enough in the evening that my doctor decided to keep me in the hospital overnight to hopefully give me some more rest and comfort (that didn't end up being the case with an hourly parade of nurses, physical therapists, and doctors in throughout the night and morning, but I digress). Post-operatively, I ended up in another splint, had more X-rays and am now in a boot that is proving to be its own type of painful. So, there are more X-rays, probably another cast, walking boots, physical therapy, knee scooters, and honestly who knows what else still ahead of me on my long road to recovery.
Expectedly, all of these appointments, hospital stays, procedures, shiny new hardware, and imaging bills have added up quickly, especially in addition to the ER & ambulance bills, and cross-country transportation costs that preceded any actual treatment costs. In typically American fashion, my insurance company is being billed close to $85,000...so far.
But the other financial kicker in all of this is my inability to work while I hobble and then hopefully walk this slow path towards basic mobility. I am a retail manager of a recycled clothing store, so I spend upwards of 8 to 9 hours on my feet each day running between stations, up and down stairs to our offices, lifting bags and boxes, etc., usually in heels to boot (hehe, I have to keep these puns going for my own sanity). Additionally, living in NYC, walking around the city (including up and down stairs to the subway) is my main mode of transportation to do everyday basic tasks. Due to the state of my injury, I am obviously not able to work or return to NYC until I am almost fully recovered, and am currently on an unpaid medical leave through mid-April. While I have applied for short term state disability, which is supposed to cover up to 50% of your weekly wages, the maximum allotment does not even cover 25% of my gross wages. And it could take until I am back at work to even get approved for payments to begin.
While my parents are generously housing and feeding me while I am back home I am financially independent and still have my student loan payments, bills, and rent that need to be paid while I am recovering, in addition to all of my new medical expenses. With this, I am graciously and humbly asking for your assistance in helping me (literally) get back on my feet. Sacrificing mobility, independence, earning power, and my career has been the greatest challenge I've faced in my life so far. Nothing about this process has been easy and asking for this sort of help sure isn't either, but I hope that every little bit will help me and my amazing parents--who have put their lives on hold to help me--chip away at the daunting road ahead. And while I try to keep my hardships in perspective, especially in regards to the medical misfortunes other people who are on GoFundMe are up against, I must also admit that I do need help in order to successfully rebuild and return to my life pre-injury.
I'm trying my hardest to be both mentally and physically strong on this journey and just focus on my healing but trying to tackle the other difficult parts of this process head on here, as well. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with love, flowers, and cookies already, and thanks in advance to anyone who can help even further. I love you all and look forward to kicking ass again soon!
A month ago, I was walking home to my apartment in NYC with a friend near Central Park when a simple trip and fall off a curb in a very tall & unstable heeled boot led to my literal downfall. When I fell, I laughed at my own clumsiness but quickly realized that I couldn't stand up. We had to call an ambulance which took me to a (thankfully, nearby) hospital and spent the night in their ER--mostly waiting, but also getting X-rays and a splint. After a few hours I got the news I didn't want: it was broken, and on top of that in at least three places. I was sent home with some pain meds and an appointment for a follow-up appointment to discuss surgery plans three days later.
Luckily my father--who already had a flight to the East Coast from LA to see his ailing mother--was able to divert his trip to get to me less than two days later. (Of course, in poorer luck, my roommate was out of town for a week starting the day before my injury so I had to make do entirely alone until he arrived, minus the assistance of my cousin in securing some food and my prescriptions.) We managed to get an appointment with an orthopedic specialist who did a CT scan and revealed that it was far worse than just three breaks; I had broken two bones, one on either side of my ankle and while there were three larger breaks there were many smaller fractures and bone fragments that would require surgery he did not feel he was capable of completing himself.
I live in a fifth floor walk-up in New York City and the physical stress of getting up and down those stairs with a very unstable broken ankle on crutches meant that there was no real way I could stay in NYC while recovering. I also live in a prewar apartment building with a hallway and a bathroom so narrow I couldn't even properly practice correct usage of my crutches in my own home. So, the next step in my recovery was actually getting me across the country back to LA where I could be in a single-story home with parents who would be able to assist me in all the "fun" tasks I could no longer do on my own, like carrying things or washing my face at the sink. Let me tell you being a totally independent and self-sufficient 24-year-old who lives on a coast opposite her family, it has been quite a mental blow to be immobilized in my childhood bedroom now instead.
The day after I flew into LA I had an appointment with my amazing doctor, Dr. Eric Tan, who has ended up being my surgeon and doctor throughout my recovery process thus far. He took more X-rays, got me out of a splint and into a cast and most importantly, put my mind at ease that while the break was bad, he had no concerns about his ability to fix it and my ability to recover fully (except for my newfound imminent ankle arthritis). From there I had more CT scans, got another cast after persistent problems with the first, and prepped myself for surgery. Surgery ended up being a three-hour ordeal, in which I received a nerve block catheter in my thigh to numb my leg and then had two plates, numerous screws, and two staples put in to hold my variously lonesome bones together. I lucked out in that I only needed two incisions rather than the anticipated three to fix the mess that used to be my ankle.
I got out of surgery late enough in the evening that my doctor decided to keep me in the hospital overnight to hopefully give me some more rest and comfort (that didn't end up being the case with an hourly parade of nurses, physical therapists, and doctors in throughout the night and morning, but I digress). Post-operatively, I ended up in another splint, had more X-rays and am now in a boot that is proving to be its own type of painful. So, there are more X-rays, probably another cast, walking boots, physical therapy, knee scooters, and honestly who knows what else still ahead of me on my long road to recovery.
Expectedly, all of these appointments, hospital stays, procedures, shiny new hardware, and imaging bills have added up quickly, especially in addition to the ER & ambulance bills, and cross-country transportation costs that preceded any actual treatment costs. In typically American fashion, my insurance company is being billed close to $85,000...so far.
But the other financial kicker in all of this is my inability to work while I hobble and then hopefully walk this slow path towards basic mobility. I am a retail manager of a recycled clothing store, so I spend upwards of 8 to 9 hours on my feet each day running between stations, up and down stairs to our offices, lifting bags and boxes, etc., usually in heels to boot (hehe, I have to keep these puns going for my own sanity). Additionally, living in NYC, walking around the city (including up and down stairs to the subway) is my main mode of transportation to do everyday basic tasks. Due to the state of my injury, I am obviously not able to work or return to NYC until I am almost fully recovered, and am currently on an unpaid medical leave through mid-April. While I have applied for short term state disability, which is supposed to cover up to 50% of your weekly wages, the maximum allotment does not even cover 25% of my gross wages. And it could take until I am back at work to even get approved for payments to begin.
While my parents are generously housing and feeding me while I am back home I am financially independent and still have my student loan payments, bills, and rent that need to be paid while I am recovering, in addition to all of my new medical expenses. With this, I am graciously and humbly asking for your assistance in helping me (literally) get back on my feet. Sacrificing mobility, independence, earning power, and my career has been the greatest challenge I've faced in my life so far. Nothing about this process has been easy and asking for this sort of help sure isn't either, but I hope that every little bit will help me and my amazing parents--who have put their lives on hold to help me--chip away at the daunting road ahead. And while I try to keep my hardships in perspective, especially in regards to the medical misfortunes other people who are on GoFundMe are up against, I must also admit that I do need help in order to successfully rebuild and return to my life pre-injury.
I'm trying my hardest to be both mentally and physically strong on this journey and just focus on my healing but trying to tackle the other difficult parts of this process head on here, as well. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with love, flowers, and cookies already, and thanks in advance to anyone who can help even further. I love you all and look forward to kicking ass again soon!
Organizer
Saeli Eshelman
Organizer
New York, NY