Leanne and Doug Goddard

Update - 8/7/23

Leanne was admitted to the hospital on June 22nd for a respiratory crisis caused by her autoimmune disorder called myasthenia gravis. She was intubated but after steroid and IVIG treatment she was able to have the tube removed. She was getting stronger and using less and less oxygen support afterward but after receiving lidocaine when they put a PICC line in which is contraindicated for myasthenia gravis, she had another respiratory crisis. This one was much more serious and in fact, she did not have a pulse for nearly 20 minutes.

However, God in His graciousness, revived her and to our amazement and to his glory there was no damage whatsoever caused by the experience. Unfortunately, she had to be intubated again during this experience, and in order to help her get off of the ventilator quicker they did a tracheotomy. They are weaning her off of the ventilator and she is breathing more and more on her own currently. The doctor has said that she will be ready to go home soon but needs a portable ventilator at home to continue the weaning process as well as have for emergencies.

Our insurance and a local dealer are haggling back and forth right now as the local dealer only wants to rent it to us for $1,200 a month but the insurance only covers 6 months of rentals. The doctor said that we need to purchase one for her to further strengthen her respiratory system so she can eventually breathe on our own as well as have any emergencies that may arise in the future. The local dealer said they would sell us a portable ventilator for $17,000 but would not bill it through the insurance. Once we are home we will also have new expenses for trach supplies and nursing support for trade management.

The doctor also wants her to get a special vest that vibrates to keep the secretions in her lungs from building up. Speech and respiratory therapy at home will also take priority over physical therapy at this time. However, our insurance only covers 60 days of support (60 days from when they do the first evaluation).

We know that God is our ultimate provider and is completely faithful to give us all we need. If you feel led by the Lord to contribute to Leanne's caregiving and medical needs, it would be a blessing. Thank you all for your prayers most of all, as that is what is most needed for healing, recovery, and provision to make it through this rough season.

Doug and Leanne Goddard were married in 1991 after meeting in college and graduating in 1990. Doug is a C5-6 quadriplegic due to a diving accident while in high school in 1983. Leanne did not have any significant health issues until early 2019 after returning from a mission trip to Belize.

At first, her symptoms were mild and isolated to her speech and swallowing, but slowly progressed. In late 2019, Leanne was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called Myasthenia Gravis. She began baseline medication which kept things fairly stable until she fell and broke her arm in June 2021.

At that time, everything changed, as her whole body went into trauma, and she could barely stand up to go to the emergency room. Fortunately, the break was clean and lined up, so the doctor said that no surgery was required. However, in addition to needing to use a power recliner chair full-time to help her stand, it was discovered that she had hyperthyroidism that had gone untreated for three years. As a result, the medicine she had to take made her Myasthenia Gravis worse.

With these setbacks, Leanne's autoimmune disease began to cause weakness in her arm and legs. She began using a walker to aid her mobility, but fell and broke her tailbone in February 2022. This fall resulted in her being unable to walk.

In March of 2022, Leanne had surgery to remove her thyroid to cure hypothyroidism, and a cancerous nodule was also removed. While recovering from the surgery, Leanne had a Myasthenia Crisis in June, which sent her to the hospital for two months.

Arriving home on August 21, 2022, recovery efforts began again, but with insurance exhausted, these therapies and her daily care are very costly. Leanne had been using a phone app to communicate, but her hands have become so weak, making it extremely difficult, ineffective, and frustrating for her to communicate.

Recently, Doug and Leanne met with a representative, and Leanne tried out using a Tobii Dynavox Eye Gaze I-13 system. Having this system would allow Leanne once again to connect to others and engage back in a higher quality of life. The cost to purchase a new system, with training and technical support included, is approximately $18,000. Any donations above that amount will be used to help provide therapy and other assistive care for Doug and Leanne.

Friends of Doug and Leanne are invited to give as the Lord leads to help with purchasing the Eye Gaze system. They are grateful to God for this blessing of love and support.