I never imagined I would be in a position where I needed to ask for help, but after everything I’ve been through these past few months, I’ve reached a point where I can’t do it all on my own.
My journey started with something I’m incredibly proud of — losing 140 pounds. It took years of hard work, determination, and dedication to completely transform my health and my life.
Unfortunately, losing that much weight left me with a significant amount of excess skin, especially around my thighs. The heaviness of that skin was putting additional strain on my knees, making everyday activities uncomfortable and physically challenging. Skin removal surgery wasn’t simply about appearance. It was about improving my mobility, relieving that extra weight on my joints, and finally being able to enjoy the body I had worked so hard for.
I had my arm and thigh lift scheduled for six months and had already paid for the procedures out of pocket. I had planned financially for the surgery and the recovery time.
But life had other plans.
In August, I unexpectedly required emergency abdominal surgery, which left me unable to work for eight weeks due to post-operative work restrictions. As a PRN registered nurse, I don’t receive paid time off, sick pay, or short-term disability benefits through my position. Every single day I’m unable to work means lost income, while the bills and everyday expenses continue piling up.
Unfortunately, my scheduled skin removal surgery was already paid for and nonrefundable, so I made the decision to move forward with something I had been planning and preparing for over half a year.
But I want to make something very clear: We were financially prepared going into this surgery.
After returning to work from my emergency abdominal surgery, I picked up as much overtime as I could to make up for those eight weeks without a paycheck. I worked extra shifts, long hours, and pushed myself to get us caught back up financially. And we did it. We caught up on our bills, rebuilt our cushion, and had enough money set aside to get us through my planned recovery.
I was originally expected to return to work within two to three weeks after my arm and thigh lift. That was manageable. We had planned for those few weeks without income, and financially, we were in a good place. I went into surgery knowing my family would be taken care of while I recovered.
What we couldn’t have possibly planned for was everything that happened next.
What should have been the final chapter of my weight loss journey quickly turned into another medical nightmare.
During my thigh lift, a blood vessel was injured, resulting in a massive hematoma extending from my upper thigh all the way down to my knee. Initially, I was told the hematoma would reabsorb on its own with time.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t what happened.
My surgical incision began to dehisce, meaning the wound started opening back up. To make matters worse, I developed a hospital-acquired bacterial infection that spread into the hematoma in my leg. What started as a surgical complication quickly became a serious, potentially life-threatening situation.
I was developing sepsis.
Thankfully, it was recognized before things progressed further, but the infection and hematoma were severe enough that my surgeon had to take me back into surgery and reopen my entire thigh incision, from my groin all the way down to my knee.
My leg has now been left open intentionally so the wound can be packed, treated, and allowed to begin healing while the infection clears. Once the infection is gone and the tissue is healthy enough, my surgeon will hopefully be able to close my leg again.
Instead of recovering from the surgery I had spent six months preparing for, I’m now facing an open surgical wound, painful dressing changes, additional medical treatment, another anticipated surgery, and an uncertain recovery timeline.
And once again, I’m unable to work.
The hardest part of all of this isn’t even the physical pain. It’s knowing I have a family who needs me, including my three-year-old little boy who is waiting for his mommy to get better.
He doesn’t understand why Mommy can’t do all the things she normally does, why I’m hurting, or why I can’t just get up and go back to our normal routine. All he knows is that he wants his mommy. And as a mother, there’s nothing harder than wanting to be there for your child in every way and having your own body prevent you from doing so.
As a nurse, I’m usually the person on the other side of the hospital bed, caring for others during some of their most difficult moments. Being the patient, especially through multiple unexpected surgeries and complications, has been incredibly humbling.
Between the eight weeks of unpaid leave following my emergency abdominal surgery, the cost of my skin removal procedures, my current complications, additional medical expenses, and now even more time away from work, the financial burden has become overwhelming.
We did everything we were supposed to do. We worked extra, caught up financially, saved money, and planned for the time I would need off. We were prepared for a two-to-three-week recovery. We weren’t prepared for a life-threatening infection, another major surgery, an open wound extending from my groin to my knee, and an indefinite amount of time without income.
And that’s what makes asking for help so difficult. We weren’t financially irresponsible or unprepared. We had a plan, and we worked incredibly hard to make sure that plan would work. Unfortunately, no amount of planning could have prepared us for these complications.
I’m not asking for help to pay for cosmetic surgery. That surgery was already paid for. I’m asking for help getting through the unexpected medical complications, lost wages, and recovery that followed.
Any donations will go toward everyday living expenses, household bills, medical supplies, treatment costs, and helping my family stay afloat while I focus on healing and eventually returning to work.
I have worked so hard to get healthy, lose 140 pounds, and build a better life for myself and my family. I never expected that the final steps of that journey would turn into such a difficult battle.
More than anything, I just want to heal. I want to be able to walk without pain, return to my job caring for others, and get back to being the mom my little boy needs. I want to pick him up, play with him, and enjoy the everyday moments that are so easy to take for granted until they’re suddenly taken away.
If you’re able to donate, no matter the amount, it would mean more than I can express. And if donating isn’t possible, simply sharing my story would help tremendously.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story, for your prayers, encouragement, and support. I’m hoping that soon I can put this chapter behind me, get back to my family, return to doing what I love as a nurse, and finally enjoy the life I’ve worked so hard to build. ❤️
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
