Kelsey’s Routine Surgery Went Tragically Wrong

Kelsey is a dear friend of mine. My name is Barbara Donohue and I’m setting up this GoFundMe to help in her lengthy and difficult recovery from surgery and the complications that followed.

In April 2023, Kelsey, a bright, hard-working 31-year-old woman, underwent what she believed to be a routine surgery to repair a large hiatal hernia and reduce the size of the opening between her esophagus and stomach. She was told by the medical team that her recovery would be two to three weeks. The surgery was necessary due to the hernia stimulating the vagus nerve which caused Kelsey to have sudden, severe abdominal pain followed by vomiting and unconsciousness lasting up to 45 minutes.

However, the 6-hour surgery turned out to be anything but routine. Kelsey’s esophagus sustained damage and the mesh placed to tighten the esophagus and upper stomach became too tight. Her body began to reject the mesh. Both caused Kelsey to suffer severe pain and hours of vomiting every day. She lost her ability to swallow and was fed and medicated through a central vein. Later a feeding tube was placed through the muscle into her stomach because she was malnourished.

After 53 days in the hospital and 8 failed attempts to repair the esophageal opening, Kelsey underwent another 6-hour surgery on June 22nd to completely undo what was previously done, repair the damage from the April surgery, and redo what was needed using a different technique. By the time of that final surgery, Kelsey had been under anesthesia nine times. Each time Kelsey woke and fully gained consciousness, we saw we had lost a little more of her. She now suffers from short-term memory loss, difficulty with attention and language recall, and significant muscle weakness throughout her body. Kelsey has sustained permanent damage to the smooth muscles of her esophagus causing slow esophageal motility. She developed gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying). Both conditions contribute to her chronic nausea. The recovery process will be particularly difficult as Kelsey has a rare genetic disorder, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which causes a myriad of challenges in itself.

On July 21st after 84 days in the hospital, Kelsey was discharged home. She continues to be tube fed and will battle with the multitude of complications related to the surgeries for a long time. Insurance will not cover in-home care; however, Kelsey desperately needs this. Insurance only covers a once-a-week nurse to take her vitals and check her feeding tube.

Kelsey lost her income and has had to pay out-of-pocket for medical insurance through the end of July. She won’t have the money to pay for insurance beyond that. The numerous medications she must now take are costly. Her recovery requires intensive physical and occupational therapy as well as cognitive therapy to assist with language and memory, and the trauma of what she has endured. Her recovery will be long and arduous. The medical bills are already enormous and will only grow. We do not know when Kelsey will be able to work again.

Kelsey has been through so much. Please note the above is an abbreviated version!

The challenges Kelsey now faces have left her on the verge of collapse: physically, financially, and emotionally. She desperately needs your help. Please consider supporting Kelsey and let her know she is not in this battle alone. Any support you can offer is greatly appreciated. Whether you can donate or not, please share this page with friends, family, and others who can spread the word and help Kelsey recover. Thank you so much!