Stand with the Schommer Family in Their Health Battle

In November 2023, I had a planned C-Section and our second baby boy, Luka, was born. All was great and all the bonding was had until a couple hours passed and I started feeling off (vomiting, very low blood pressure, etc.) I was rushed back to the OR due to massive hemorrhaging where I was given blood transfusion after another because I was losing so much blood so fast. I received 20 liters of blood total (5 liters is the norm), and I had an emergency partial hysterectomy because of all the blood loss. To this day, no one knows where the bleeding came from. After a few days in a medically induced coma, I was woken up in the ICU where I stayed for the first 9 days of Luka's life. Upon waking up, I learned I lost so much blood that my kidneys shut down and I was diagnosed with Acute Kidney Injury. Doctors were optimistic my kidneys would come back after a few months of dialysis since they were just fine beforehand. 6 months have gone by and they haven't improved enough to get me off dialysis so my Nephrologist changed my diagnosis to End Stage Renal Disease/Kidney Failure and referred me to the kidney transplant center in Madison, WI.

At birth, Luka's Metopic (forehead) suture was already closed. This specific suture shouldn't start closing until 3 months old and be completely closed by 8 months old. So, Luka had surgery in February where the doctors went in and removed part of his bone to open up that space. He now wears a helmet to help maintain his head shape which he will wear until around his first birthday (November) but until then we will have multiple visits with the Orthotist in Appleton, & multiple follow-up visits with the surgeon. Along with his helmet, brings neck issues and torticollis. So he is also seeing Physical Therapy and a Chiropractor to help with that.

Luka is also dealing with kidney problems himself. It was discovered on my last ultrasound during pregnancy that he would possibly have hydronephrosis (a condition characterized by excess fluid in a kidney due to a backup of urine (AKA urinary reflux)). Ultrasounds after birth confirmed it to be true. Because of this, he currently has hypertension which he is taking medication for. Doctors expect he'll grow out of it by age 2 but until then we have multiple doctor visits, nurse visits/blood pressure checks and medication refills.

While insurance was able to knock off a good chunk of what the medical facilities are stating we owe, we still owe a lot. Any help we can get would be extremely helpful! Even $20 will go a long way.