Saturday, June 16, 2012

I'm Home!

After 16 days, I am finally back home! It seems SO much longer than just over two weeks.

Surgeon says my incisions and legs are healing well and if everything goes well, I don't have to go back for a month. Still lots of bruising but they are starting to fade too. Moving slow and trying to get back into my routine, but I am home and that is a huge step towards recovery.  Thank you to the doctors, nurses, techs, and therapists at Iowa Methodist Hospital for the excellent care.

Thank you so much to everyone for the visits, cards, donations, well-wishes, flowers, and your thoughts and prayers!

Part of the recovery process will be finding a new van that will be accessible for me. If anyone knows of an accessible ramp van for sale, please contact me. My preference is a van that I can eventually modify with hand controls so that I will be able to drive again, but for now just a ramp and tie-down locations are what is needed. Due to the high cost, this will be a van that I will need to keep for a long time - so a newer model, low mileage, and in generally good condition is what we are hoping to find (unless someone wants to cut me a great deal on an MV-1!).  We will consider any offer though.

Thank you again to everyone that donated to my recovery fund.  This means a lot to me and my family!  We feel very blessed to have such kind and generous people in our lives.  As of now, we are still in hiatus, so the donations are really beneficial. The insurance companies are battling it out and we are still not sure what is going to be covered.  Donations are still very much appreciated (please see info at the end of this post). Thank you for all your patience as we deal with this situation and are unable to update everyone as frequently as we would like.

Please feel free to pass this info/blog to anyone that we may have missed or might be interested in helping.  We are truly grateful for everyone that has helped us in any way.

Angie Plager and Family


Donations can be given by mail or by clicking the donate button below:

Angie Plager Recovery Fund
32541 585th Ave
Cambridge, IA 50046-8568




Monday, June 11, 2012

Auto Accident 2012


After 9 days in a  hospital gown,
I get to wear clothes!  Giving scrubs a try.
This was a very happy moment.
My boyfriend, Michael, and I were involved in a serious auto accident on June 1st, 2012.  It was a bad accident, involving 9 cars and highway speeds.  We both feel that we are lucky to be alive.  Michael was able to walk away with minor injuries.  Unfortunately, I broke both of my femurs, just above the knee.  I think I might take “go big or go home” a little too seriously at times. Just kidding.  I was in the Intensive Care Unit for 3 days, then had surgery to fix my legs with metal plates and screws, before heading to a  standard hospital room for a few more days.  I am now in the inpatient rehabilitation center…it could be a week, it could be all summer.  It all depends on how my healing progresses and what the doctors say.
Although this circumstance is absolutely miserable, I do feel that we are lucky to be here.  I am also very blessed to have lots of family and friends to support and help me (and my family) through this time.  I’ve had many visitors and received a lot of flowers and cards.  Thank you everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes.  It has really helped me keep my spirits up while I am stuck in a hospital room. 
Unfortunately, my adapted van and wheelchair were both destroyed in the accident.  These are custom built pieces of equipment and will not be easy to replace.  For example, a power wheelchair can cost $25,000 - $40,000 and it is a necessity for me to live a quality life.  The adapted vans are even more expensive - the special hand controls, computers, and ramps cost nearly $100,000 and that doesn’t include the cost of the van itself.  Of course, we are hoping for insurance to really help us out, but at this time we don’t know.
Many people keep offering to help and my family and I truly appreciate the offers but I think we do have most things covered at this time.  If you would still like to help, we ask that you consider donating to a fund to help me cover expenses.  We hate asking for money, but at this time it is the one thing that could be beneficial. Even with the possibility of insurance, we are still looking at some large out of pocket expenses with my extended hospital stay and treatment, possibly having to hire another care giver once I am home, replacement wheelchair and a van to transport me now (and adapt for me to drive in the future).  Please see the Paypal donation button below (this will process through Michael's Paypal account for me) or mail to:
Angie Plager Recovery Fund
32541 585th Ave
Cambridge, IA 50046-8568


We are sincerely grateful for any assistance you are able to offer.

Thank you so much,
Angie Plager and Family




Typed and posted by Michael for Angie Plager