Help us get Vanessa back!

Vanessa is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Auburn University at Montgomery (AL); she is a scientist, a wife, and a great friend. At AUM, she fulfils her dream of being a scientist because she has a molecular lab and many undergraduate students that she mentors.

Vanessa’s life has been complicated by a rare congenital disorder that, among other things, caused a deformity in her spine. She cannot walk unsupported, and only then for short distances, and generally requires a mobility scooter to get around. In the past few years, she has also experienced loss of nerve signals in her legs and fingers; this was caused by kinks in her spine that were pressing on the nerves. Doctors at UAB Hospital in Birmingham (Alabama) suspected that this would get worse if untreated, so on June 5th, 2023, Vanessa underwent major spinal surgery to straighten out two kinks in her upper spine, and fuse the occipital plate of her skull to the upper vertebrae of her spine (down to thoracic vertebra #5, aka T5).

The surgery was a success; the recovery has been more difficult. Successive attempts to extubate her resulted in complications, which in turn required her to undergo a tracheostomy. After 30 days in Neurological ICU (to ensure her spine had adequately healed), she was transferred to UAB’s respiratory Special Care Unit, where she spent another 56 days being weaned off the ventilator and relearning how to breathe. From there, she was transferred to the Spain Rehabilitation Center (still with a tracheostomy tube installed, but no longer on a ventilator). At the time of writing, Vanessa has spent three full months in hospital.

During this time, her mother has been staying in Birmingham to be close to her only child and aid in her recovery. Lodging has cost her a considerable amount of money, which she cannot really afford. And while Vanessa has good health insurance, the final bill has yet to come due.

It is an understatement to say that Vanessa is smart and strong. She is one of the smartest people we know and her students, friends, and family need her back ASAP. While she and her family are doing all the work to get her going again, they can not afford the economical burn and need your help to pay for expenses. Please help us get Vanessa back!

This text was prepared by Maria Florencia Breitman, who is a co-worker and friend of Vanessa. Vanessa’s husband also helped draft the text and we obtain consent from Vanessa to share the present information. This go fund me will help her pay her medical bills and housing for her care takers.