Help Fern Cover Surgery

Dear friends and family.

I have an important announcement, that our beloved Fern, needs our help. For anyone who doesn’t know Fern, she is easily one of the kindest, gentlest, most loving and positive people I have ever met. And right now Fern is going through one of the most difficult times in her life, and knowing Fern’s history, that says a lot!

She's battled cancer and beat it 4 times. She's been diagnosed with autoimmune diseases. Doctors are very confounded by new things arise in her body. And anyone that knows Dr’s knows they have very limited areas of focus when it comes to the human body.

Basically, Fern is a unicorn in a world of horses. Few Doctors know how to diagnose and treat unicorns.

These continuing physical challenges have also made it difficult for to keep a job and to pay her medical bills and life bills.

So, what’s Ferns latest physical trial?

For the past five years, Fern has been experiencing extreme pain in her left shoulder. Originally, this was thought to be muscular tension due to auto accidents, and she was seeing chiropractors for years without success. It was recently discovered that this pain is actually due to a large benign mass. Fern’s doctor said that the 2-inch mass at her T8 vertebra does not allow her shoulder blade to sit correctly on her back and is giving her thoracic outlet syndrome. This means that the mass presses against her spine so severely that it pinches nerves, radiating pain and inflammation all over her back and down her arm. The nerve damage to her arm is getting worse by the day and she finds it painful to do many routine activities.

The reason why this specific medical issue has been harder than battling repeated cancers, surgeries, and lupus is because her insurance company is not helping her!

The doctors are not removing the mass because they originally diagnosed the mass as a lipoma or fatty deposit, and removal of a lipoma is considered cosmetic, hence her insurance company declined the surgery. The process to re-diagnose the mass seems to be a lengthy and impossible process.

Fern doesn’t have to the funds to pay for the surgery herself, which is why I created this plum fund for her. I am asking for $15,000 to pay for her surgery, anesthesia, recovery, and help pay for expenses and loss of income she has experienced during this difficult time. The surgery is expensive because of how complicated and risky it is due to how close the mass is to her spinal cord. I am praying for the surgeon to have steady hands.

Alone we cannot fight all battles we face, but together we can make a big impact. I urgently beg you to look within and ask yourself what finances you can spare to help Fern get this large benign mass removed. Let’s have Fern on her feet and working to support herself by the end of the year! Big shout out to Jim, Fern’s loving partner, who has supported Fern this far! I know it is a huge financial, emotional, and mental stress on their relationship.

Thank you all for you help and support! Please share this with your friends and family and I will keep you posted on her status.

Lots of love,

Serah and Melissa