GoFundMe account set to help retired teacher Wagner with medical expenses

A Havre High School teacher who helped students with math for four decades is looking for some help with medical problems.

A release from GoFundMe said Mary Wagner, who retired in 2016 after 37 years of teaching math at Havre High, is in St. Vincent's Hospital in Billings as doctors try to treat what appears to be the rare immune system disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which leads to nerve damage and muscle weakness.

The release said Wagner is suffering from numbness and paralysis consistent with the disorder.

"She is also in an incredible amount of pain, which has been the hardest part of all (for) us to watch," her daughter Lisa Anderson, wrote on GoFundMe. "The most healthy, active, lively person we know is suddenly unable to do anything for herself, and we are trying to get the answers to fix that."

The GoFundme account already has shown the community support for Wagner, the release added. Anderson set a goal of $5 but in one day it raised $16,000.

Anderson wrote on the GoFundMe account that many tests were run in Havre and many things ruled out, adding that what is happening is "all so out of nowhere and so confusing," but once a diagnosis was made, Wagner was flown to Billings to start treatment.

"We have heard great success stories about these treatments, and plan for nothing less than a full recovery," she wrote.

She wrote Wednesday that, for the first time, her mother had a decrease in pain.

"We are incredibly thankful and happy for her, and hope the trend continues," Anderson wrote. "She continues to be the smartest person in the room, and is working her hardest to speed up this process. We are reminding her that yard by yard, this will be hard, but inch by inch, a cinch. For anyone that doesn't know, that was her 'go-to saying' as a math teacher, and she uses it as a life motto, too (she modifies that saying for any situation!) That's the mentality through all of this - it's a marathon, not a sprint. Well, as you likely know, she was a distance runner, not a sprinter, so she's got this."

Monday, Anderson wrote they have no idea if she will be in Billings for days, weeks, or months but they have heard that the recovery process takes quite a bit of time.

"We don't know if she stays here or goes back to Havre for treatment and/or therapy, as there are so many unknowns at the moment," Anderson wrote. "We have received an incredible amount of love and support already, and we are so thankful for all of the calls, texts and prayers. We are also incredibly thankful for all of the help and care she received in Havre - the people of that town are truly special. If you know her, she is the absolute last person to ask for help, and the first person to help when someone is in need."

Anderson said they have had many people ask how they could help, and they have some recommendations.

One was that she asked people to keep the prayers coming.

"We all feel them and truly believe they are the best thing for her," Anderson said. "Her faith has not waivered, and neither has ours."

"This last part is hard, and our parents would be furious if they knew we were doing this, but because so many of you have asked - if you would like to help financially, you can donate here," Anderson said, referring to the GoFundMe page.

To view the page, people can visit https://gf.me/v/c/blg/mary-wagner-updates .