Due to extenuating circumstances, we have decided to extend the Lifting the Leary's fundraiser and increased our goal by $10k. Thank you & God bless! Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for the continued love and support everyone has continued to show to the Leary family. The endless prayers, well wishes and kind words of encouragement mean so much to Shannon and her family. We could not hav
e helped the Leary's as much as we have through this difficult time without all your support. Thank you!!! It has been just over 1 year since the launch of the Lifting the Leary's fundraiser, which was created to help the Leary family with the overwhelming medical expenses, accumulating medical bills and to help give them a chance to get caught up on past due payments for the family's home. Shannon's medical expenses include travel expenses, hospital and doctor co-pays, medical supplies, required procedures not covered by insurance, speciality medical devices, mobility equipment, home nursing care and Shannon's very costly medications. All of which they have been struggling with since this heart breaking tragedy began back in February of 2012. This fundraiser page alone has raised $7,000, while other funding sources made directly to the Leary family have raised an additional $3,200. All these generous donations (both big & small) have been such a blessing for the Learys. We were also able to provide them with 7 weeks of meals delivered hot and ready to enjoy, 3-4 days a week, during Shannon's recovery from her Vulvectomy - Vaginectomy and reconstructive surgeries. Shannon has been so moved and thankful for the outpouring of support shown to her family, she is eternally grateful. Unfortunately, Shannon's devastating Vulvectomy, vaginectomy, and reconstructive plastic surgeries last year in September still could not put an end to the medical nightmare she has been living. She continues to be plagued with multiple new and highly irregular tissue growths, pockets and life threatening abscesses which her doctors have yet to pin-point a reason as to what is causing these reoccurances. Each new growth and subsequent abscess requires immediate antibiotic intervention followed by surgery to remove the affected tissues, to prevent further tissue death. The agonizing pain continues to limit Shannon mostly to her hospital bed, where only one position (laying on her left side with pillows surrounding her, holding her right leg up high enough to avoid pressure) can provide her any relief. Still unable to sit upright, she has a custom wheelchair that reclines back and allows her to elevate her left leg with an extra wide seat to accommodate her special cushion, allowing her to shift her weight to the right hip. She requires a constant supply of speciality ice packs to relieve the pain caused by the chronic inflammation and swelling from all her many surgeries. Yet through it all, she refuses to give up hope that this is all life will ever be for her. Determined, she pushes through the pain each day to do the seemingly simplest of activities, things that we all take for granted. She is able to slowly get about the house with use of her cane (walker on really bad days) for about 30-45 minutes before the pain becomes too much, and she's down for an hour or 2 icing up. Then she's right back up again trying to complete which ever task she has set out to accomplish. Shannon has also been suffering from a severe and complicated rectovaginal prolapse (rectocele), which was diagnosed in January 2014. After 4 months of grueling testing and procedures, her multiple surgeons from varying specialties at JUH concluded they could not operate until her pain is better managed and the complications regarding her bowels resolved. She has been struggling with chronic constipation, frequent fecal impactions, infections and obstructed bowels. These highly unpleasant complications are a result of her severe pelvic floor dysfunction and the high doses of pain medication prescribed by her pain management physicians. As a result of these ongoing complications, she must now give herself regular injections in her belly just to move her bowels. Sadly, the loss of sensation and control of both her bowels and bladder has been very hard on her. She tries to joke and make light of these issues, yet deep down you can see how much of a toll, both mentally and emotionally, it takes on her. The Leary family, Rich in particular, is desperately searching for a way and the means to make the obstacles of everyday living easier for Shannon. Her hospital bed has been in the living room of the family's small rented town home for nearly 2 years now, as she struggles with walking and is unable to use the stairs to get to her bedroom or even the only shower in the home. The nature of her situation requires privacy, particularly from her 3 young sons. Whether it's for wound & nursing care, getting dressed, or to simply rest, there is zero privacy available to her in their current living arrangements. While they are extremely thankful to have a roof over their heads, they need to find a home with single floor living to accommodate Shannon's needs and limitations, including wheelchair accessibility. They are also looking into what options may be available for converting her minivan to conform to her specific disabilities, hoping to give her the ability to drive again after being unable for so long. While her need for better a living arrangement is very important and urgent, right now financial help is need for her medical expenses and keeping a roof over the family's head. There is hope!! Shannon is going through a series of processes in hopes of receiving a nerve stimulator implant. This device would be surgically implanted into her back with electrodes connecting to the nerves of her spinal cord. The device will intercept the pain signals to the brain and change the way she feels pain in each nerve. She has gone through all the evaluations and is now waiting approval from her insurance company. This device is commonly performed for those who suffer from back pain or limb (arms & legs) pain, there is very limited info available as to the success or failure of a nerve stimulator used for pelvic pain, and no info available in regards to the severe nature of pelvic issues Shannon suffers. We pray that her insurance approves this procedure as fully funded, so she can move forward into the trial stage of this procedure. If all goes well, the goal of the implant is to relieve about 30% of her pain. This would allow to move forward with the multiple surgeries required to repair the rectocele and hopefully lower the dosages of the Fentanyl patches and Opana pain medications as well. Thank you for taking the time to read this update. Please help us Lift the Leary's!! They have been through so much already over these last several years. We may not be able to heal Shannon, but together we can lift her in prayers, continue to encourage and wish her well as she continues to fight for her life back. Please find it in your heart to make a donation and help take some worry off this wonderful family, so they can continue to focus on Shannon's healing and being a family. Please share the link to this fundraiser page with the people you know and love, So together we can all Lift the Leary's in prayer and support!!
************* THANK YOU FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT**************
- See more at: http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/lifting-the-learys/85932 .ZeCNcgAz.dpuf
