Bring Cindy Home!

Hello! Welcome to the mission to bring Cindy home! My name is Jenny & I'm writing on behalf of my mom. In early September, my mom had surgery to repair a hiatal hernia (for those in healthcare, she had a Nissan Fundoplication). Things went as expected post-operatively; she's the dream patient and follows orders to the letter of the law. She had a smooth recovery and received surgical clearance to live her life (including travel).

My parents flew out to the UK the second week of October and began touring around the English countryside. My dad's mother was British and he has many childhood memories in the UK - this is a brilliant excuse to want to explore the countryside.

A week into their adventure, my mom developed excruciating pain and a rock-hard abdomen. She was rushed to their nearest hospital where she perforated in the ED on October 17. We now know her surgical wrap from early September was too tight, cut off circulation, her tissue developed ischemia and necrotized, and she perforated her stomach. She almost died before getting to the OR; it's pretty heartbreaking to hear her tell her story. She was praying to die because she was in so much pain. She required a big chunk of her stomach (all the dead tissue) to be surgically removed.

Her post-operatively experience in the UK has been long and complicated. She, unfortunately, has a leak somewhere and is battling intra-abdominal sepsis. We suspect she's developed abscesses or fistulas but has not had a proper CT scan (the contrast on the last CT scan infiltrated and the images were suboptimal). They did see a lot of smuts including fluid around her spleen which is not good. A new drain was placed in interventional radiology but the drainage output has been minimal, raising concerns it's not working and she now needs further procedures/interventions. Her cultures are positive and making matters more complicated, she has become resistant to the antibiotics. This is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation.

My parents are optimists and eternally see the good in people (God bless them) so they would not approve of me speaking poorly of the NSH (the British healthcare system). I flew out and was there for nearly 3 weeks. What I will say is this: I was utterly horrified. The medical care felt like 1972. Paternalism rules the roost. Cleanliness is not next to godliness. Medical care is reactive at best and even then, that might give them more credit than deserved. Her surgeon has been particularly challenging and has blocked the transfer multiple times. I genuinely believe if we do not privately medivac her home immediately, she could die there.

My father is an emergency/trauma nurse practitioner. He spent nearly 20 years in the Air Force serving and has practiced in acute care for 45 years. My mother is basically a saint. She has dedicated her life to serving others. She was raised as a missionary kid and as an adult has always been active in the SDA church and is passionate about volunteering in the community; in recent years she worked to rehabilitate homeless individuals in their community (Mount Vernon, WA). Our family as a whole has dedicated most of our lives to serving others. It's in our blood. We are caregivers. It's very unusual for us to need help and even harder for us to ask for help. But now we need it.

My parents always travel with travel insurance. I can hear my dad's voice in my mind when I share his life motto: in life, you adapt, improve, and move on. Planning for plan B is second nature for us. Unfortunately, plan B let us down this time - we have been told this is a pre-existing condition. Not only has her healthcare been self-pay in the UK, but we now need to fund her return.

Your donation to the mission will help pay for the medical team, medical supplies, and the private jet to bring her home utilizing the company International SOS. The cost of this service is more than you can imagine and is not the amount we hope to raise. My family is personally moving heaven and hell to pay for it ourselves, but we need help to bridge the gap.

I can truly say your donation and kindness will help save the life of the most amazing person I know. My mother has a heart of pure gold. She sees the good in all things and has and will spend her life "paying it forward."

Thank you for reading her story and supporting the mission. My family cannot thank you enough.