The story of Nelly
I have known Teresa for just shy of 37 years. During the last 13 years I’ve seen her suffer with chronic pneumonia, a disease for which there is no cure to date. The endless hospital stays and the physical and emotional strain it has put on Teresa, her family and friends is not easy to put into words. There is currently no ICD 10 code for chronic pneumonia, something Teresa wants to change in the medical billing world. The endless stories that she can tell you would take weeks to tell not to mention the endless surgeries she’s had on her left arm that was torn out of her body. She has also had gastric bypass surgery, lupus, GERD, and just recently has been diagnosed with another rare disease, chronic anemia. You may think with all that she has delt with that she would be a bitter person. You would be WRONG. She is the strongest, most patient and caring person I could have ever made as a friend. These are also qualities of a nurse which Teresa is. She is more than this, she is my best friend, someone I call with all my medical questions, my family, and my warrior sister.