In Support of Kimberley A. Martin Lynch

Our family is asking for help for my mom, Kimberley A. Martin Lynch, who is fighting her way back from a life-threatening medical crisis and an incredibly long and difficult stay in the cardiac ICU.

Kim suddenly suffered three cardiac arrests, leading to partial heart failure and multiple life-threatening complications. She was intubated and required multiple life-saving interventions, including an Impella heart pump, ventilator, and ECMO (among many others) to keep her alive. After 27 days fighting for her life in the cardiac ICU, she was transferred to the ICU at a long-term acute care facility, where she spent 32 grueling days working to retrain her body’s basic functions. She is now in an inpatient rehabilitation center, where she is working to regain the strength and independence she lost during this ordeal.

Her body has been through more than I can put into words. After spending so much time critically ill and dependent on life support, even simple things that most of us take for granted (breathing, swallowing, etc.) have become enormous challenges. Her muscles deteriorated while on life support, and her body is incredibly weak, but she is working harder than ever with her medical and rehabilitation teams every day to rebuild her muscles, relearn skills, and eventually get back to living independently. While she has already overcome an unfathomable amount of trauma, the road to recovery is going to be long and difficult.

If you knew Kim before all of this, you would know that giving up has never been an option for her.

Kim is one of the kindest and most generous people you could ever meet. She truly sees the best in people and has a remarkable ability to find something good, even when life is at its hardest. She has been deeply involved in her church and is cherished by everyone around her, especially her kids. She is intelligent, hilarious, loving, and somehow keeps the kid in her alive despite all the suffering she has overcome. She’s the first to offer help, whether to a friend or a stranger, and has spent her life putting others before herself.

Now, she is the one who needs help.

After this prolonged hospitalization, critical care, and rehabilitation, our family is facing approximately $91,000 in medical-related expenses. The financial burden has become overwhelming on top of everything else we are navigating. We are asking for help so that we can focus on what matters most: getting her home and giving her the time, care, and resources she needs to fully recover.

ICU Recovery Fund
Goal: $91,000
The recovery ahead is expected to take a year or longer, and we are asking for help carrying the costs that come with it. Unfortunately, this includes expenses to move her out of a place and community she’s called home for the past 38 years. Funds raised will go toward rehabilitation, transportation, home support, household stability, and other recovery-related needs as they come up. If costs turn out lower than planned, anything remaining will continue to support her through recovery.

How we arrived at this goal:
- $30,000 toward medical and care-related costs, such as deductibles, coinsurance, prescriptions, equipment, and follow-up care
- $15,000 toward day-to-day family support, including lodging near the hospital, meals, travel, parking, household bills, and costs associated with our desire to support her through this difficult time
- $32,000 toward recovery and rehabilitation, including multiple types of therapy, home health, transportation, mobility equipment, and home stability and modifications
- A 15% contingency reserve for needs we cannot predict yet

There is still a long road ahead. We don’t know exactly how long her recovery will take, but we do know that she has already fought incredibly hard to get here.

Kim has spent her life showing up for other people. She has given her time, her kindness, her humor, and her heart to her family, her friends, her church, her community, and every person she interacts with.

Now we’re asking those who know and love her—and those who simply want to help—to show up for her.

If you are able to donate, any amount can make a difference. If you aren’t in a position to donate, sharing this fundraiser is just as meaningful and can help us reach people who can help.

Most importantly, please keep Kim in your thoughts and prayers as she continues this fight. We are so incredibly grateful that she is still here. Thank you for loving her, supporting her, praying for her, sharing her story, and helping us carry her through this.