Oregon Woman, 32, With Chronic Health Issues Runs Sock Drive for Kids in Hospital

Over the years, Andie Proskus has undergone numerous back surgeries and been treated for an ongoing infection that causes open wounds. Throughout it all, she remembers a small gesture of kindness that made a big impact on her.

“When I was a kid, I got a pair of socks from a volunteer,” Proskus, 32, from Beaverton, Oregon, tells TODAY.com. “It brought me a smile, and it was something to keep me going.”

As Proskus grappled with intense pain and continuous health challenges, she also wanted to help others. Eleven years ago, she started a sock drive, where she asks local students to donate new socks, which she donates to children’s hospitals and the Ronald McDonald House around the holidays.

“I put a little card in them. … It talks about my sock drive and says a message like, ‘I hope these socks bring a smile and warm your feet. Thinking of you, sending love,’” she says. “For as long as I’m here still, I’m going to keep (donating socks).”

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Worsening back problems

In middle school, Proskus’ back started hunching, what’s called kyphosis, an abnormally curved spine, according to the Cleveland Clinic. At first, physical and occupational therapy helped her a bit, but she progressively worsened and struggled to stand.

For 11 years, Andie Proskus has collected socks to give to children at children's hospitals and Ronald McDonald houses. — For 11 years, Andie Proskus has collected socks to give to children at children’s hospitals and Ronald McDonald houses. Courtesy Andie Proskus

“Nobody could really figure out what was going on,” she says. When she was about 15, she underwent a surgery to understand why her back hunched, but the doctor couldn’t figure it out and suggested “it was just in (her) head.”

After pushing for additional testing, she was eventually diagnosed with congenital muscular dystrophy, a genetic muscular disease that starts at birth and progressively causes weakened muscles, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

An orthopedic surgeon believed that a spinal fusion surgery could help Proskus’ posture. In 2009, he performed that surgery on her below her cervical spine, the upper part, and until about 2016, it seemed like it worked. She grappled with pain, but her back seemed stronger.

But around 2016, the muscles in her neck weakened, and she struggled to hold her head upright. When a different surgeon performed scans before a possible surgery to bolster her neck, they discovered that some of the rods were broken and screws were loose in her back, she explains. The neck surgery, a cervical spinal fusion, seemed too risky for Proskus.

“They felt like it (was) dangerous to operate,” she says.

Proskus continued seeking treatment. While another surgeon offered to perform a cervical spine fusion, that doctor also became worried it was too complicated and ultimately canceled the surgery. Since 2016, Proskus has worn a neck brace to hold up her head.

“Most of my pain is in the cervical part of my spine,” she explains.

Still, she felt determined to seek treatment and enjoy life when she could. In 2018, Proskus visited Las Vegas with her mom for her birthday. When she returned, something felt wrong.

“I was in excruciating pain. I couldn’t move from my bed,” she says. “On my lower back, it looked like there was a lump, a sort of black and blue mark. And I didn’t know what this was. I was in such awful pain.”

Having numerous chronic health conditions, including open wounds and constant pain, feels tough for Andie Proskus. Still, focusing on being generous to others helps her grapple with the tough emotions she experiences. Courtesy Andie Proskus

Proskus went to the emergency room, where doctors noticed she had a bacterial infection, which had spread to the hardware in her body from her spinal fusion. They also discovered she had an abscess, a pus-filled sac from a bacterial infection.

“I was on IV antibiotics for six weeks,” she says. “I got out of the hospital and then not even a couple weeks later, the second abscess showed up. It kept spreading all along the incision of my spine, open wounds. I’ve had over 15 abscesses.”

While doctors have washed out the abscesses to try to treat them, Proskus says they kept returning because of the bacteria thriving in the surgical hardware.

“It’s been (constantly) in and out of the hospital,” she says.

In 2022, a doctor performed a surgical wound cleaning and found that there was a surgical sponge left in Proskus, which required more surgeries to remove it. She constantly has open wounds and the least amount of pain she feels is seven out of 10.

“(The wounds are) chronic, and I’m on antibiotics and pain medications, but there’s no way for these to heal unless the hardware can be taken out, but due to many different things, they just don’t feel I’m a surgery candidate,” she says. “I’m not healthy enough.”

She says she’s been in “a palliative state,” where they change her dressings, monitor her and address major issues if they arise.

“There’s not really a cure,” Proskus says. “That’s where I’ve been for a long time with this infection.”

Creating community and helping others

In 2020, Proskus began sharing her story on TikTok and did a dance that Charli D’Amelio duetted. Soon, she went from 3,000 followers to about 2 million followers. Connecting with others on social media has helped her tremendously.

“It’s been isolating being in pain all the time and not having a huge support system,” Proskus says. “I’ve gotten a lot of support through friends on social media and then with my sock drive.”

The sock drive helps Proskus navigate the tough emotions that come with having such a complex medical condition.

“I’ve really struggled with my mental health probably equally as my physical health,” she says. “When you’re fighting any kind of really serious health condition and fighting for your life, you have to find something to keep you going. Otherwise, you’re drowning and all you think about is the pain.”

While Proskus recalls many kindnesses she received over the years, the gift of socks really stuck with her. That’s what motivated her to start the drive. She works with local schools to collect socks and shares her story with them.

“I wanted to give back to others,” Proskus says. “So many people do toy drives and other kind of drives. But socks are comfortable. I’m always cold in the hospital.”

For the 10th anniversary, Proskus collected 7,000 pairs of socks, which she donated to the local children’s hospital and Ronald McDonald House, where she has volunteered off and on when she feels well enough.

“It warms my heart to see the smiles that it brings. (It’s) something so simple but comfortable and therapeutic for me to keep this going every year,” she says. “No matter how many I collect, it’s going to make a difference.”