Help support Carol Lumpkin

Carol is a beautiful, kind, young mom of two— William, 12, and Emily, 7. She has been married to Jack for 14 years. She has been my dear friend for almost 30 years. So I’m qualified to say, she has a heart of gold and would go to the ends of the earth for those she loves. She has a brilliant, dry, sense of humor. She is extremely intelligent and is the only person I know who can actually speed read. For nearly the last four years, Carol has suffered in silence. While her son William was fighting leukemia and acute flaccid myletitis, which led to his paralysis, Carol has struggled with some very serious health issues. Carol discovered shortly before William’s leukemia diagnosis, that she has a lung condition that led to right-sided heart failure. This condition is so precarious that a heart and lung transplant are in her future, and she has been on 24 hour a day oxygen support. She has struggled daily, but put all her health concerns on the back burner so she could focus solely on William. All of us who love her dearly have worried about her health. And, on January 27, an unexpected rupture of a polyp caused by diverticulitis put Carol in critical, life-threatening condition. The ruptured polyp caused her small bowel to burst, which led to septic shock. She was admitted to Carroll County Hospital and underwent emergency surgery. Since then, she’s in a medically induced coma and is on a ventilator. Her already jeopardized health has only complicated her recovery. She’s undergone multiple surgeries in an attempt to address the infection that has spread throughout her abdomen. On Friday, January 29th, her status rapidly declined and she was flown by helicopter to University of Maryland. On the way there, her heart stopped. Flight medics were able to revive her, but the damage caused by that event, and being in a long-term, induced coma has led to deficits in her neurological status. Carol failed her most recent neurological exam, and doctors are unsure at this time what her neurological status would be should she recover. At this point, her life is still at great risk. Jack and Carol have been together since their early 20’s. Jack cannot bear to imagine losing the love of his life and mother of his children. To add to that immense stress, he is terrified they will lose the house they just completely modified for William. If Carol survives, it is highly unlikely she would work again for a very long time, if ever. I realize I have spent the last three years asking for donations to support William. I’m now asking with the utmost desperation, please help this family. They have suffered in unimaginable ways these last three years. Just when life started to look a little brighter for the Lumpkins, they are at risk of losing the matriarch of their family. Please, every single dollar will help. As always, thank you for your continued love and support of the Lumpkins.