A 21-year-old Jefferson woman is lucky to have survived a pulmonary embolism five months ago, but with a few outstanding medical bills, Kimberly Hodnett is not out of the woods yet.
A potluck dinner and silent auction to raise money for Kimberly Hodnett’s medical bills will take place at Damariscotta Lake Farm Restaurant in Jefferson at 6 p.m. Jan. 10. The family invites everyone to attend.
Kimberly Hodnett was admitted to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta July 25 and transported to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston via LifeFlight helicopter the next day, according to her mother, Kathy Hodnett.
“It finally started to hit me that this was serious when they told me I’d be transported to Boston via helicopter,” Kimberly Hodnett said.
“She was in Boston for five days,” Kathy Hodnett said. “The CT scan showed her lungs had substantial clotting.”
Once she was home, Kimberly’s heart was strained, according to Kathy Hodnett.
“The embolism went right through the right side of her heart,” Kathy Hodnett said.
After the embolism, Kimberly had to relax and recover. An Erskine Academy graduate, Kimberly worked full time before the embolism. She now works part time at Hannaford Supermarket in Augusta.
She is doing well, according to Kathy Hodnett. Most of the doctors’ appointments have shown signs of improvement.
“One test came back abnormal. We will have to take Kimberly off of blood thinners at the end of January to retake it,” she said. “If the test shows abnormality again, she’ll be on blood thinners for the rest of her life.”
Kathy Hodnett said she considers her daughter to be very lucky.
“She’s so lucky that they caught it,” she said.
For more information or to donate food, silent auction items, or funds, call Kathy Hodnett on her cellphone at 441-3420 or her home phone at 549-3360.
