Hope for Stacy
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Doc Maloney and I want to share this tragic story about a wonderful couple I know named Stacy and Scott Douglas. Stacy was recently diagnosed with Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) a rare central nervous system disorder that primarily affects the eye nerves (optic neuritis) and the spinal cord (myelitis).
Stacy is 52 years old, hard working woman, that has been married for 29 years to a retired Green Beret Sergeant Major, Scott Douglas.
When you read this story, I want you to replace the words Stacy, her, or she, with YOUR NAME, or the word me or I. I want to draw you into her story; I want you living with her in this moment, so that you can understand the struggle and fear that is the major part of Stacy’s story every day.
We, who are lucky enough to serve in Special Forces, and have great wives, get to do and experience things that other men just dream of doing. We get to do those things because we have great wives. For over 20 years, whenever Scott went off to do what we in Special Forces do, Stacy stayed back in the rear keeping everything together and under control until Scott returned.
Now it will be Scott’s duty, to pick up the load that Stacy can no longer carry.
Today Scotty is more than just Stacy’s husband. He is her caregiver, nurse, cook, masseuse, hair stylist, chauffeur, physical therapist and advocate. He now does everything for her that she used to do, but can’t because of the NMO!
You know how certain dates are forever etched into your mind. November 22, 1963 (President Kennedy’s assassination), I know exactly where I was; September 11, 2001 (the attack on the Twin Towers), well Tuesday, November 13, 2018 is forever etched in Stacy and Scott’s minds. It was just like any other Tuesday in November in North Carolina; a little crisp and chilly, but otherwise, just an ordinary Tuesday or at least that’s how it began.
Tuesday morning Stacy and Scott both went their separate ways to work, all normal for a Tuesday workday. Then, as Stacy would later that evening tell Scott, she noticed something strange happening, the vision in her right eye was a little blurry; we’ve all experienced that, right. Rubbed it, that didn’t help. Maybe it was dry eye?
NMO comes like a thief in the night, stealing little things, not taking everything at once. A blurry eye, rub the eye it will surely clear up? A tingling in the left arm, damn, now the right leg is starting to tingle? What is going on?
Time to go to the emergency room. Off to Womack Army hospital’s Emergency Room on Fort Bragg they go.
In the Womack ER, the doctors wanted first to rule out a stroke. They did. Not a stroke.
Then they thought, maybe it might be MS (Multiple Sclerosis). They sent Stacy up to Ophthalmology for more tests. The ophthalmology technician ran some tests, and seemed to know what it might be. The technician didn’t share her thoughts with Stacy and Scott, what she knew at that moment, but they did find those thoughts later in her records. She suspected NMO!
They put Stacy on corticosteroids, to fight the inflammation. A blood test was ordered for a blood component called AQ4. That test would confirm a diagnosis for NMO. The Pathologist at Womack denied that request, because in his opinion, it was too expensive. That was November 14th. Remember this all started for Stacy on November 13th.
It wouldn’t be until December 17, 2018 that Stacy would receive her diagnosis with NMO, and that came from Duke University Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Relapses, hospital visits, physical therapy, a third relapse, more of her stolen by the thief NMO. Weakness to where in January 2019 Stacy had to start using a walker.
The thief returns, always stealing something of value. Now her legs are weakened
Now nine months later, Stacy is in a wheel chair; she no longer has the use of her arms or legs; or control over her bladder or bowels. She can never be left alone due to the complete loss of her mobility.
Stacy will be on Autoimmune Infusion therapy for the rest of her life. There is some hope, that with this therapy and rigorous physical therapy Stacy would recover some use of her limbs, as well as gain some mobility back. Time will tell to what extent.
We need your help. Please donate whatever you can afford. Small amounts add up, so please help us give Stacy HOPE for a better future. Costs for Stacy’s in home care could run as high as $170,000.00 annually, and insurance coverage runs out quickly and the rest is left to the individual to cover. So you can see the tremendous burden in front of them.
The money raised will be used to cover the costs of home care to include,
· extended nursing,
· physical therapy
· help with getting dressed;
· cleaning;
· cooking;
· running errands;
· dispensing medication; and
· assisting with transfers (bed, bath, chair, etc.)
· transportation to and from doctor appointments, etc.
· New construction on the house where necessary.
.
I will be forever grateful to each of you, for whatever you can give. I pray, that none of you ever have to experience what Stacy, and Scott are going through.
Stacy is 52 years old, hard working woman, that has been married for 29 years to a retired Green Beret Sergeant Major, Scott Douglas.
When you read this story, I want you to replace the words Stacy, her, or she, with YOUR NAME, or the word me or I. I want to draw you into her story; I want you living with her in this moment, so that you can understand the struggle and fear that is the major part of Stacy’s story every day.
We, who are lucky enough to serve in Special Forces, and have great wives, get to do and experience things that other men just dream of doing. We get to do those things because we have great wives. For over 20 years, whenever Scott went off to do what we in Special Forces do, Stacy stayed back in the rear keeping everything together and under control until Scott returned.
Now it will be Scott’s duty, to pick up the load that Stacy can no longer carry.
Today Scotty is more than just Stacy’s husband. He is her caregiver, nurse, cook, masseuse, hair stylist, chauffeur, physical therapist and advocate. He now does everything for her that she used to do, but can’t because of the NMO!
You know how certain dates are forever etched into your mind. November 22, 1963 (President Kennedy’s assassination), I know exactly where I was; September 11, 2001 (the attack on the Twin Towers), well Tuesday, November 13, 2018 is forever etched in Stacy and Scott’s minds. It was just like any other Tuesday in November in North Carolina; a little crisp and chilly, but otherwise, just an ordinary Tuesday or at least that’s how it began.
Tuesday morning Stacy and Scott both went their separate ways to work, all normal for a Tuesday workday. Then, as Stacy would later that evening tell Scott, she noticed something strange happening, the vision in her right eye was a little blurry; we’ve all experienced that, right. Rubbed it, that didn’t help. Maybe it was dry eye?
NMO comes like a thief in the night, stealing little things, not taking everything at once. A blurry eye, rub the eye it will surely clear up? A tingling in the left arm, damn, now the right leg is starting to tingle? What is going on?
Time to go to the emergency room. Off to Womack Army hospital’s Emergency Room on Fort Bragg they go.
In the Womack ER, the doctors wanted first to rule out a stroke. They did. Not a stroke.
Then they thought, maybe it might be MS (Multiple Sclerosis). They sent Stacy up to Ophthalmology for more tests. The ophthalmology technician ran some tests, and seemed to know what it might be. The technician didn’t share her thoughts with Stacy and Scott, what she knew at that moment, but they did find those thoughts later in her records. She suspected NMO!
They put Stacy on corticosteroids, to fight the inflammation. A blood test was ordered for a blood component called AQ4. That test would confirm a diagnosis for NMO. The Pathologist at Womack denied that request, because in his opinion, it was too expensive. That was November 14th. Remember this all started for Stacy on November 13th.
It wouldn’t be until December 17, 2018 that Stacy would receive her diagnosis with NMO, and that came from Duke University Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Relapses, hospital visits, physical therapy, a third relapse, more of her stolen by the thief NMO. Weakness to where in January 2019 Stacy had to start using a walker.
The thief returns, always stealing something of value. Now her legs are weakened
Now nine months later, Stacy is in a wheel chair; she no longer has the use of her arms or legs; or control over her bladder or bowels. She can never be left alone due to the complete loss of her mobility.
Stacy will be on Autoimmune Infusion therapy for the rest of her life. There is some hope, that with this therapy and rigorous physical therapy Stacy would recover some use of her limbs, as well as gain some mobility back. Time will tell to what extent.
We need your help. Please donate whatever you can afford. Small amounts add up, so please help us give Stacy HOPE for a better future. Costs for Stacy’s in home care could run as high as $170,000.00 annually, and insurance coverage runs out quickly and the rest is left to the individual to cover. So you can see the tremendous burden in front of them.
The money raised will be used to cover the costs of home care to include,
· extended nursing,
· physical therapy
· help with getting dressed;
· cleaning;
· cooking;
· running errands;
· dispensing medication; and
· assisting with transfers (bed, bath, chair, etc.)
· transportation to and from doctor appointments, etc.
· New construction on the house where necessary.
.
I will be forever grateful to each of you, for whatever you can give. I pray, that none of you ever have to experience what Stacy, and Scott are going through.
Organizer and beneficiary
Walter T Maloney Doc
Organizer
Pinehurst, NC
Scott Douglass
Beneficiary