Helping Heidi
Donation protected
For those who don’t know our mom, to us she is more than a loving wife, mother, grandma, sister and friend. She is lifelong lover of animals, in particular dogs. She is a kisser of boo-boos; a “professional” whistler; potty-training champion; inventor of Mom’s Slop; humble. She is always the first one in line to lend a hand when needed, in fact she will give you the shirt off her back if she felt you needed it more than her. She is not one who will ask for help, but she could currently use your help, so we are asking for it for her.
On January 7th, our mom started to feel tired and weak and was not able to keep any food or water down. She thought that she simply had the flu and it would run its course. For the next few days, that is exactly how she treated it, like the flu, however, by Thursday morning of that same week, she felt more “off” than before. In addition to being weak, she lacked her normal balance and had blurred vision. Our dad took her to the Emergency Room, where the doctors stated she was severely dehydrated and were concerned with her extremely elevated blood sugar levels (she came with levels at 350 where a typically healthy adult’s blood sugar level is 100 – 125). Within eight hours of her arrival to the Emergency Room, our mother was admitted to the ICU, where the doctors continued to monitor her blood sugar levels and determined that her pancreas had quit producing insulin (the hormone that regulates our blood sugar) By Friday morning, our mom’s double vision had worsen and after a CT scan was performed, it was determined that our mom had had a diabetic stroke and that she would need to be transferred to a hospital better equipped to handle her case.
Our mother remained in the ICU at the new hospital through January 17th, where they determined that her brain was swollen and immediately put a port drip in her neck to help reduce the swelling. It was also determined that she had actually suffered from multiple strokes over the course of the past week. The doctors continued running multiple tests to try and figure out the cause of the strokes, but as of today, no cause has been determined. She continues to have double vision, no control over the movement of her left arm and is unable to walk unassisted.
Although, she is no longer in the ICU, she will remain in the hospital until they can determine the reason for the diabetic stroke and get her blood sugars back to normal range. From there she will be admitted to the rehabilitation center at the hospital for at least 6-8 weeks, where she will receive both physical and occupational therapy to rebuild the strength and use her left leg and arm. Once she has completed the initial 6-8 week therapy, the doctors will determine if she will need to go to another facility for additional therapy or if she can go home with in home therapy. Needless to say, our mother has a long road to recovery ahead of her and while she is getting better, unfortunately she will be out of work (our dad is retired, so she is the sole source of income). Medical bills will start coming in soon and although insurance will help with some of the cost, they are still looking at a large financial burden. If you would like to assist, any donation through GoFundMe would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your support. We are forever grateful.
At this time she has asked for no visitor however please keep her in your prayers.
On January 7th, our mom started to feel tired and weak and was not able to keep any food or water down. She thought that she simply had the flu and it would run its course. For the next few days, that is exactly how she treated it, like the flu, however, by Thursday morning of that same week, she felt more “off” than before. In addition to being weak, she lacked her normal balance and had blurred vision. Our dad took her to the Emergency Room, where the doctors stated she was severely dehydrated and were concerned with her extremely elevated blood sugar levels (she came with levels at 350 where a typically healthy adult’s blood sugar level is 100 – 125). Within eight hours of her arrival to the Emergency Room, our mother was admitted to the ICU, where the doctors continued to monitor her blood sugar levels and determined that her pancreas had quit producing insulin (the hormone that regulates our blood sugar) By Friday morning, our mom’s double vision had worsen and after a CT scan was performed, it was determined that our mom had had a diabetic stroke and that she would need to be transferred to a hospital better equipped to handle her case.
Our mother remained in the ICU at the new hospital through January 17th, where they determined that her brain was swollen and immediately put a port drip in her neck to help reduce the swelling. It was also determined that she had actually suffered from multiple strokes over the course of the past week. The doctors continued running multiple tests to try and figure out the cause of the strokes, but as of today, no cause has been determined. She continues to have double vision, no control over the movement of her left arm and is unable to walk unassisted.
Although, she is no longer in the ICU, she will remain in the hospital until they can determine the reason for the diabetic stroke and get her blood sugars back to normal range. From there she will be admitted to the rehabilitation center at the hospital for at least 6-8 weeks, where she will receive both physical and occupational therapy to rebuild the strength and use her left leg and arm. Once she has completed the initial 6-8 week therapy, the doctors will determine if she will need to go to another facility for additional therapy or if she can go home with in home therapy. Needless to say, our mother has a long road to recovery ahead of her and while she is getting better, unfortunately she will be out of work (our dad is retired, so she is the sole source of income). Medical bills will start coming in soon and although insurance will help with some of the cost, they are still looking at a large financial burden. If you would like to assist, any donation through GoFundMe would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your support. We are forever grateful.
At this time she has asked for no visitor however please keep her in your prayers.
Organizer
Jason Barks
Organizer
Maplewood, MO