A Virginia lady who misplaced her hand in a shark assault in Florida is crowdfunding for a prosthetic after her insurance coverage denied protection. Elisabeth Foley, 45, from Ashland, was critically injured within the June seventh assault.
“Swiftly I regarded behind me and noticed this factor that regarded like a torpedo,” Foley advised Boston 25. She spent years in Massachusetts earlier than shifting to Virginia. “It was an enormous mass.”
She tried to kick on the shark, and that is when she first felt the pain-the shark had attacked her decrease leg, the Unbiased reported.
Foley recalled studying about punching a shark to drive it away. As she started swinging, the shark dragged her underwater, and he or she feared for her life.
When she resurfaced, she realised her hand was gone.
The assault left Foley requiring intensive medical care, together with the amputation of her left mid-forearm and remedy for accidents to her midsection. She spent 60 days within the hospital earlier than lastly returning residence two months later.
Regardless of her restoration, Foley continues to endure the aftermath of the assault. She has been suggested to endure a number of surgical procedures to restore nerve harm and reconstructive procedures.
Now, medical specialists advocate a myoelectric prosthetic hand-an superior gadget that might allow her to carry out extra specialised duties and regain larger performance.
Foley was set to obtain her new prosthetic hand on Christmas Eve, however her insurance coverage firm reportedly refused to cowl the prices, claiming the gadget was not medically crucial. The particular insurance coverage supplier was not disclosed.
“It felt like a punch within the intestine as a result of I simply wish to get again to regular,” Foley advised NBC Boston.
Decided to maneuver ahead, Foley started fundraising and launched a GoFundMe marketing campaign to boost $73,000 to cowl the price of the prosthesis. As of Thursday, the marketing campaign had reached 81% of its objective, with over $59,260 raised.
“Elisabeth’s medical staff has strongly advisable a myoelectric prosthetic hand, a specialised gadget that’s powered by the residual muscle mass within the arm sending alerts to the gadget which causes the prosthetic wrist and hand to carry out specialised duties,” the web page learn.
“With out this hand, Elisabeth faces a future marked by restricted abilities, stunted mobility and a diminished high quality of life.”