Help Susan Battle Addison's Disease

My name is Elin Criswell. I am starting this fundraiser to help pay for medical bills my 24-year-old daughter Susan incurred during her recent five-day hospital stay, two of which were spent in ICU. She was uninsured at the time.

I have never seen someone get so sick, so fast. When Susan woke up that morning of December 3, 2024, she wasn’t feeling well, but got up to get ready for work. It wasn’t long before she started throwing up and determined she needed to see a doctor. Later that morning, the doctor suspected a kidney infection; he gave her a high-dose antibiotic injection and scheduled a CAT scan. We had a plan, but he also told us that if she got worse, we should go straight to the emergency room. That is exactly what happened, and by 6 p.m. that night, we were headed to the ER.

Thankfully, once we got to the hospital, we were quickly ushered into an exam room. I couldn’t help but notice the concerned looks that nurses traded with each other as they took Susan’s vitals. But they downplayed the situation, obviously to not get me worried. We know now that at that point, Susan had a horrid infection. She was admitted to the hospital.

The next day, they had trouble regulating Susan’s blood pressure and blood sugar, both of which were much lower than normal. Different scans and tests were run, but by Tuesday night, she was transferred to ICU. At that point, the doctor told me that he suspected adrenal insufficiency and said they would start treating her with I.V. steroids.

Once started on the steroids, her condition gradually improved, and she was moved back to a regular room by Friday afternoon. She felt better by then, and one of the brightest moments of her hospital stay came when four managers at her work came to visit (as seen in the picture).

She was released from the hospital on Sunday afternoon, December 8th. Adrenal Insufficiency was the diagnosis, but we were told that she would need to see an endocrinologist as soon as possible. They suspected that Susan has Addison’s disease.

It was a miracle, but she actually got in to see the endocrinologist only three days later. This specialty doctor ordered two more additional blood tests. We got the results back on December 19. The diagnosis was then official: Susan has Addison’s Disease.

Addison’s is a rare condition that only affects one in every 100,000 people. This happens as a result of the adrenal glands not working as they should. This condition can be managed, but Susan will have to stay under the care of the endocrinologist doctor.

We have quite the road ahead of us as we learn how to deal with this. But we know that the Lord is faithful, and He will see us through.

The medical bills are now starting to come in. The preliminary hospital estimate was over $40,000, and that was only for the first two days of her hospital stay.

I humbly ask that you consider donating to help Susan pay for medical costs. I’m a big believer in ‘every little bit helps.’

Thank you for your consideration!