A Virginia girl who misplaced her hand in a shark assault is now turning to the general public for assist after her insurance coverage firm refused to cowl the price of a prosthetic gadget really helpful by her medical staff.
Elisabeth Foley, a 45-year-old mom of three, was bitten by a shark in June whereas vacationing in Florida. She was one in every of three folks attacked inside 90 minutes that day. Foley’s accidents had been devastating, resulting in the lack of her left hand and extreme injury to her midsection. Her restoration concerned 60 days within the hospital, the place she endured a number of surgical procedures, together with nerve and laser procedures, in response to WWBT.
Regardless of these challenges, Foley has made exceptional progress. Now, her docs advocate a myoelectric prosthetic hand, a sophisticated gadget that makes use of residual muscle indicators within the arm to regulate its actions.
This prosthetic would dramatically enhance her mobility and independence, in response to her GoFundMe web page.
With out it, Foley claims she faces “a diminished high quality of life,” marked by restricted mobility. Her insurance coverage firm has declined to cowl the $73,000 prosthetic, deeming it “not medically needed,” her fundraiser explains.
The gadget would allow her to regain some normalcy and deal with duties many take without any consideration.
As of Thursday, Foley’s GoFundMe marketing campaign had raised over $60,000.
Her journey and updates on her restoration are additionally documented on her Instagram, the place she has obtained an outpouring of assist.
Foley’s wrestle for a prosthetic comes amid a nationwide reckoning over frustrations with the healthcare system prioritizing income over folks. The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has sparked a wave of assist for the suspect, Luigi Mangione, with many applauding him as a logo of rising frustration and anger towards the insurance coverage business.
