GoFundMe Drive for Local Mom

Hers is a story that makes one think, “There but for the grace of God, go I.” She was a healthy, middle-aged mom living in Rumson with her two young boys and husband, busy getting her family ready for Thanksgiving. Not feeling well a day or two before the holiday, Caroline Studenko headed to the walk-in health center. With symptoms of an upset stomach, hot and cold sweats, vomiting, she was told she most likely had food poisoning. By Thanksgiving Day her fever was high and her body so weak, she could barely stand. Her right knee had doubled in size from swelling. Her husband, Anthony, rushed her to the hospital on Black Friday while hordes of others rushed to the malls. Within hours Caroline was in the Intensive Care Unit, on life-support, having just undergone surgery to amputate her right leg. She would undergo a total of more than 30 surgeries, the most recent last month to amputate toes on her left foot. Her body is scarred, her hands damaged and weak, the nerves in her body still healing from the infection. Caroline was told she somehow contracted a flesh-eating bacteria called necrotizing fasciitis. Where and how she still does not know. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), necrotizing fasciitis is a rare bacterial infection that spreads quickly in the body and causes death nearly 70% of the time. The bacteria most commonly enters from a break in the skin, but it can also occur in an area that had a trauma. In Caroline’s case, she is still uncertain how she contracted the disease. For the moment, the ‘how’ it happened is not as urgent or important as the ‘how’ to go on with life’s new challenges. Caroline was finally able to return to her home the first week in May. “I was in Riverview for months. Then acute rehab, and then subacute,” said Caroline. “It was so hard to be away from my sons. I missed them so much. You can’t even imagine how happy I am to be back in my own home. I promised my son I would be home for his birthday, and I made it.” With two young sons, Mack, 11, and Drew, 7, Caroline has needed help keeping things going for her family. She says her husband has been amazing, and the help from both their moms has gotten her through, but the everyday tasks are overwhelming. “I have limited use of my hands because of the nerve damage,” she said. “Simple things like making dinner are nearly impossible. I can’t hold a pot of water to boil spaghetti.” Other practical, everyday things need to be considered as well. The family is selling their home and moving to a ranch-style home that can be better outfitted for her use. Caroline needs to purchase a new car, one that can allow her to drive without her leg. And, perhaps most urgently, she needs a prosthetic leg so she can walk again. With only one limb, and the foot on that leg having nerve-damage and the inability to balance from missing her toes, the type of prosthetic needed is extremely specialized, computerized, and very expensive. Dorothy Whitehouse, a friend of Caroline’s, has set-up a GoFundMe page to help offset the many costs associated with her care. “Her beautiful boys have been her driving force for survival and strength, and her mom, Rita, her rock,” wrote Dorothy on the GoFundMe page. “The boys are so fortunate to have a wonderful father in Anthony as well as their two amazing grandmothers to help while Caroline has been in the hospital. (Caroline’s) will, her strength, and her mental fortitude are all incomprehensible. Please continue to share (the) link (to our fundraising page) and help spread the word!” If you, or someone you know, can help, please visit and share the GoFundMe – gofundme.com/f/amp-hope-for-caroline.