Samantha’s Blessing

I started this fundraiser for my friend Samantha Christy because she took a fall back in October and has had to have 3 surgeries thus far and looking at a 4th and final surgery in February. Samantha is unable to work and is all alone! Looks like she will have a long road of recovery ahead. She could use our help and financial support at this time. I know she and I appreciate anything you can do to help! Holli Nutter-Stedman

My accident happened on 10-17-19 slipped and lost my balance in the kitchen and landed on the floor. Called paramedics and was taken to local hospital in Blount County. X-rays we’re taking indicating I had a broken femur. I was told there was not an Orthopedic doctor on call. They let me lay in traction overnight until an Ortho Doctor was available. I wasn’t taken into surgery until the evening of 10-18. Plates and screws were used to stabilize the break. Was sent home a few days later with a walker and was told this was a non weight bearing injury. Was home during the night I felt there was something definitely wrong because my leg was dangling. Called paramedics again and was taken back to Blount. X-ray showed that the plate had bent. I was accused of either falling, walking or putting weight on my leg which I had not. Waited again for Doctor. Didn’t have surgery until that evening. They took original implants out and added more. The next morning the surgeon informed me that basically he had done all he could do. If anything happened they may have to amputate my leg. I was transferred to a rehab unit where I had PT and OT for a week and was discharged to come home without any equipment and meds were not called into the pharmacy. It took two weeks to get meds and a wheelchair delivered to my house. Never got the other equipment. Tried numerous times to talk to case worker with no luck. Anyway things as difficult as they were seemed to be going okay. I had been home a month. The night before my doctors appointment I reached from the couch to my coffee table and felt something pop in my leg. Again my leg was dangling. Went to my doctors appointment the next morning where they took X-rays. Took a while for doctor to appear. He had been on the phone with an Ortho Trauma Surgeon at UT Trauma Hospital. When he came in the room he told me there was nothing more he could do for me and that I had an appointment in two days with this new doctor. I went home with my leg dangling yet again. Went to see the new doctor he said he was pretty sure he could help me out but he wanted lab work done and a doppler ultrasound done on my leg first. If all was well he’d proceed with part 1 of the surgery the following Wednesday. He sent me home on Thursday until Monday again with my leg dangling with no help. No meds no antibiotics nothing.

Went back the

following Monday for a doctors appointment to go over labs and

ultrasound results. Explained to him just hard it was to being at home

by myself. I wasn’t able to get to the bathroom and that I was

literally afraid I was going to damage my

leg more. I should have never been sent home in the first place. I

should have been admitted with IV antibiotics until surgery. He had me

go through the ER because my insurance wouldn’t approve my admission. I

was admitted on that Monday with surgery scheduled for Wednesday but

still no antibiotics.
Wednesday’s surgery consisted of

removal of all implants for the third time and over 2 inches of my

femur because it wasn’t any good no blood flow. He had to put in a

cement spacer where he took out the bone and new implants. Two days

later they wanted to discharge me to come home but came down with

pneumonia. Was discharged on 12-23.
Next surgery is

scheduled for mid February if all goes well. This last one will be the

hardest. He’ll be removing implants again and cement spacer. Taking

bone from my pelvis along with cadaver bone for a bone fusion, replacing

new implants and put a femoral nail through my knee into my femur.

This will be a very long painful recovery 6-9 months at the least.
I’ve

not worked since October and my job has made it impossible for me to

collect unemployment. I have SSD but it is far from enough to pay my

rent and bills.
I am originally from San Diego,

California. I am a retired Surgical First Assistant in Surgery from

Scripps Memorial Hospital Trauma Division in La Jolla, California. I

moved to Townsend, Tennessee to retire in June of 2017. A few months

after arriving I lost all feeling in my hands and arms an had to have

emergency cervical fusion of my entire neck. Once I healed from this I

went back to work full time at Tremont Lodge and Resort. This year I

changed jobs and worked for Wyndham Vacation Rental. I had only worked

there for 3 months before my accident. Needless to say it wasn’t long

enough to qualify for FMLA. I asked them if they could lay me off so I

could apply for unemployment and was told by there HR Department the

couldn’t because the had put me on medical leave. Then I was told I

could Resign due to medical reasons and be able to collect unemployment.

That didn’t sound right so I put a call into unemployment and waited

for a call back. While waiting I reconfirmed this with HR. So I sent

in my resignation. The next morning I got a call from unemployment and

they told me NO. I couldn’t collect if I wasn’t able to work. That was

there job to get me back into the work force. I am 65 years old, I’ve

never applied for any help in my life. I moved here on my own. I’ve

never been in this situation before. I’m completely debilitated right

now and for some months to come. This accident happened at a very

inappropriate time the Holidays and the end of the year. Many agencies

have run out of ways to help.