Hollie Thompson

December 4, 2023 Update

First of all, thanks to those of you who were able to help Hollie and Brooke. I've waited to update as Hollies recovery has been up and down since her surgery in October.

December has Hollie still healing and trying to adjust to the meds and side effects to control the pressure in her brain. She is still awaiting follow up, testing, and possibly further procedures the end of January.

She had been hoping to be back to work by now but that will not be happening for a while. Praying that her testing at the end of January will be positive news.

It's going to be a rough Christmas financially for the girls. It's been 6 months that Holl has been off work. If you can possibly help, even just a little, it would mean a lot.

October 24, 2023 Update:

Thank you all for your prayers and your kind thoughts. The neurosurgeon was able to repair three csf leaks and get Hollies brain back where it belongs. The surgery was successful and Hollie was doing well today. We may be able to take her home tomorrow to heal and prepare for the next round.

Today is the day. Hollie is being prepped for her surgery as I write this. Please everyone, say a prayer for her surgery to be successful.

Hello everyone. I'm Lorrie Wyrum and I'm setting up this fundraiser for my 40 year old niece, Hollie Thompson.

Hollie has been having ear issues for years and lost her hearing in her left ear a few years ago. This summer, her ENT did an MRI and CT Scan and discovered she had a mass in her ear. In July, she had exploratory surgery and the mass was found to be her brain that had pushed into her ear cavity and was leaking spinal fluid out of her ear. The surgeon closed her up and referred her to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

In the past three months she has been diagnosed with CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) leaks and Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (the pressure in her brain got too high and found the weakest spot to blow it open). She is still having trouble with the high pressure and the doctor is trying to bring it down with meds.

On October 23, her neuro surgeon at Mayo Clinic will perform a mini craniotomy where they will attempt to fill the hole in her ear and repair the CSF leaks. They are hoping the pressure doesn't cause any further leaks. Afterward she will need to see a neuro ophthalmologist as her optic nerves are also compressed and they are concerned about her eyesight. She may also need further surgery to stint the veins in her head as they are also crimped and compressed.

Hollie is a single Mom with a 16 year old daughter. She has been off work since July, 2023 after her first surgery, testing and awaiting the October 23 surgery at Mayo. She has short term disability insurance through work that covers 60 percent of her wages but all this unexpected time off is causing hardships to keep up with apartment rent, utilities, car payment, insurance, and medical bills, not to mention the 400 mile round trips from Duluth, Minnesota to Rochester, Minnesota. Her health insurance has a 25 percent copay so her medical bills will be quite staggering.

Hollie is not the kind of person to ask for help so I am doing that for she and Brooke. If you are financially able to help, it would be very much appreciated. If not, please say a prayer for Hollie and Brooke that her doctors can safely return her to a somewhat normal life again.

Thank you for reading Hollie's story.