You may know her as Kari, Kare Bear, Auntie My Towel, Linda, Polar Bear, Mama Kari, Mama Handful, daughter, sister, mother, aunt, granddaughter, niece, cousin, caregiver, friend. She is my big sis. She has always been there for me. And very likely, she has always been there for you. She would give the shirt off her back to a stranger in need. She has always put everyone else first. She is kind, loving, funny and selfless. She would never dare ask for help. So that is why I am here. On Mother’s day 2020, while working as a traveling CNA, she stepped to the side and something went terribly wrong. Her whole left side tweaked when it should have twerked!?!? Swung when it should swang?!?! Something serious happened taking her out of the work force. After 6 months of grueling tests and numerous doctor’s visits, they were still struggling to find and fix the cause. She was experiencing random and sudden weakness causing her leg to suddenly give out on her. On one occasion it suddenly went out from under her sending her to the ground and causing a severe concussion. Most people eventually recover and move on so to speak. However, for some reason she was just not recovering. Concerned as to why, the neurologist ran some tests to find out why and discovered she has cervical myelopathy (compression of the spinal cord) in 3 areas on her upper spine near the base of her skull. This was caused by the concussion. The normal range of fluid around the spinal cord is 15-10 anything under that is considered an emergency situation. The 3 spots on her spine measure 6.2, 7.3 and 6.3. So that is where we are!! If she were to fall again, she could die!. The lasting side effects of the concussion are Cognitively-sporadic dementia, word loss, balance and coordination issues, repetitive motion causes pain, sitting too long causes nerve pain, light headedness and nausea. Most of these symptoms cause unsteadiness, putting her in danger of another fall. The surgery she will be having to correct this issue is called Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion. They will go through the front of her neck. Her recovery will take 12 weeks, and up to 1 year to fully recover. The hope is that this surgery will correct all of these issues. Her surgery is scheduled for March 24th. Her Workman’s Comp ended in December when they decided (against doctor’s ruling and advice) that they were no longer liable for her care. Her unemployment will end March 31. So you can see she will be forced into a situation where she cannot work, cannot get unemployment, and cannot apply for disability. She is out of options. She will definitely need moral, physical and financial support during her 12 weeks of recovery. As you all may know trying to concentrate on your physical health while navigating our “great” Healthcare system is stressful. Let alone while dealing with the financial burden of no income. Kari would never put this out there. She is not asking for your help. I am. I wish that I could be there to give her all the support she will need. I am hoping that you can all step in and do what I cannot. Call or go by and just ask if she is okay. When she is allowed to eat proper meals again, we will start up a meal train. If you can spare even $1 it will add up. There is a link here to a GoFundMe to help pay the bills while she recovers. You can also leave her words of encouragement and please do. We will post updates here so that you may follow along with her progress. I am so grateful for anything you can do. My sister has always been there for me and I am trying to be there for her the only way I know how (from all the way down here in Texas!). We will post updates here so that you may follow along with her progress. From my family to yours, thank you for your kindness.
