Wheels for Rich
Donation protected
My name is Gloria Naso, and I have been married to my husband Rich for 30 years. I was a high school teacher and retired in June of 2017. I was enjoying retirement and spending time with my family until the unthinkable happened.
Rich’s Story
March 28, 2018 is a day I will never forget. On Tuesday, March 27, Rich complained about an upset stomach and having stomach cramps. The next morning, Wednesday, March 28, he did not wake up as usual, so I went into the bedroom to wake him and found him unresponsive. His eyes were open, but he was not blinking, he was staring straight up at the ceiling. His breathing was hard and shallow. I called him, I yelled, I shook him, I slapped his face and he was still unresponsive. I knew he was dying right in front of my eyes. I dialed 911 and prayed.
Rich was rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ where he was put on a ventilator and given broad spectrum IV antibiotics via an artery in his neck to get the antibiotics into him rapidly, and he was being given blood pressure medications via an IV in an artery in his wrist because his blood pressure crashed. The doctors told me his kidneys were failing and he had pneumonia. The doctors were not sure whether he would pull through. They said that Rich had contracted a very bad bacterial infection but couldn’t say what this bacterial infection was or where he got it. Then they transferred my husband to the Critical Care Unit of the hospital and I prayed.
Rich remained on a ventilator and in the CCU for 5 days. Once he was taken off the ventilator, his speech was very garbled, but thank God there were no signs of brain damage. From the time of Rich’s admittance into the hospital every possible test was performed on his blood, urine, and stool, but the type of bacteria and its origin could not be determined. In fact, the type of bacteria and where it came from has never been determined.
Since the bacteria remained an unknown factor, the doctors continued to treat my husband with broad spectrum antibiotics. Rich was very, very sick but he was slowly responding to these antibiotics. After ten days of IV meds, my husband was taken off the antibiotics, as per the protocol. 24 hours later, Rich’s blood pressure crashed and he had a fever of 103. He was immediately put back on IV antibiotics. When the doctors performed a neurological exam, Rich could not move his feet and legs and had no feeling from the waist down. An MRI revealed that the bacterial infection, which was still in his system. had traveled into his spine, collected there and compressed his spinal cord, rendering him paralyzed from the waist down. There was no way to go into the spine and flush out the bacteria, and an operation could do more damage. I was told by the neurosurgeon that once the spine is damaged it does not regenerate, so my 66 year old husband would now spend the rest of his life as a paraplegic. I cried and I prayed.
Rich’s New Normal
Rich is now living life between a hospital bed and a wheelchair. His life, my life, and our son’s life have altered drastically. Rich needs help getting into and out of a wheelchair. He needs help getting into and out his hospital bed. He has no bowel or bladder control. He has to be changed, washed and dressed. He needs a wheelchair to get around. He has a motorized wheelchair which, thankfully, has helped him tremendously in his independence around the house.
The downside of Richie’s motorized wheelchair is that it weighs over 1000 lbs. and is not portable. The only way to transport Rich in his wheelchair is in a van outfitted with a ramp to accommodate his chair, and this is something we cannot afford. I have to hire a transport ambulance to take him in his wheelchair to doctor and medical appointments which is very costly, so we can’t take him out to the movies, shopping, visiting friends and family, etc.
The Expenses
There are so many expenses that go along with taking care of a paraplegic. There is so much special equipment my husband needs and all of it is expensive. For example, I recently purchased a rolling shower chair for him, which cost $750.00. Rich has to take many medicines and needs many medical care supplies which are costly. I pay for a private home health care provider to assist me a couple of days a week to wash and dress him in the morning, because taking care of him is taking a toll on my physical health. The enormity of the financial burden of Rich’s paralysis is overwhelming for our family in addition to the physical, mental and emotional toll it has taken on us.
Why Rich Needs Your Help
I am hoping that this fundraiser will help alleviate some of the economic hardship Rich’s paralysis has caused our family. If we could afford to buy a wheelchair accessible van, I would not have to pay for a transport ambulance to get him out. It would also make a difference to the quality of his life because he could get out to the movies, stores, visits to family and friends, etc. I hopeful that this fundraiser will help us to purchase a wheelchair accessible van and help us with the financial burden we are faced with since Rich has become paralyzed.
For almost 20 years my husband was a certified high school umpire for baseball and referee for basketball. Over those years Rich made many friends with and was very well liked by the students, teachers, coaches, athletic directors, and the various umpires and referees he worked with and met. He sorely misses umpiring and refereeing, and the people he met and befriended. I am hoping these people will remember him now in his time of need.
Please give what you can (no donation is too small and is tax deductible). To help us get the word out share this link to your Facebook Timeline and other social media! Email this page to your family and friends!
Our deepest gratitude and thanks to anyone and everyone who donates.
God bless you!
Gloria and Rich Naso
Rich’s Story
March 28, 2018 is a day I will never forget. On Tuesday, March 27, Rich complained about an upset stomach and having stomach cramps. The next morning, Wednesday, March 28, he did not wake up as usual, so I went into the bedroom to wake him and found him unresponsive. His eyes were open, but he was not blinking, he was staring straight up at the ceiling. His breathing was hard and shallow. I called him, I yelled, I shook him, I slapped his face and he was still unresponsive. I knew he was dying right in front of my eyes. I dialed 911 and prayed.
Rich was rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ where he was put on a ventilator and given broad spectrum IV antibiotics via an artery in his neck to get the antibiotics into him rapidly, and he was being given blood pressure medications via an IV in an artery in his wrist because his blood pressure crashed. The doctors told me his kidneys were failing and he had pneumonia. The doctors were not sure whether he would pull through. They said that Rich had contracted a very bad bacterial infection but couldn’t say what this bacterial infection was or where he got it. Then they transferred my husband to the Critical Care Unit of the hospital and I prayed.
Rich remained on a ventilator and in the CCU for 5 days. Once he was taken off the ventilator, his speech was very garbled, but thank God there were no signs of brain damage. From the time of Rich’s admittance into the hospital every possible test was performed on his blood, urine, and stool, but the type of bacteria and its origin could not be determined. In fact, the type of bacteria and where it came from has never been determined.
Since the bacteria remained an unknown factor, the doctors continued to treat my husband with broad spectrum antibiotics. Rich was very, very sick but he was slowly responding to these antibiotics. After ten days of IV meds, my husband was taken off the antibiotics, as per the protocol. 24 hours later, Rich’s blood pressure crashed and he had a fever of 103. He was immediately put back on IV antibiotics. When the doctors performed a neurological exam, Rich could not move his feet and legs and had no feeling from the waist down. An MRI revealed that the bacterial infection, which was still in his system. had traveled into his spine, collected there and compressed his spinal cord, rendering him paralyzed from the waist down. There was no way to go into the spine and flush out the bacteria, and an operation could do more damage. I was told by the neurosurgeon that once the spine is damaged it does not regenerate, so my 66 year old husband would now spend the rest of his life as a paraplegic. I cried and I prayed.
Rich’s New Normal
Rich is now living life between a hospital bed and a wheelchair. His life, my life, and our son’s life have altered drastically. Rich needs help getting into and out of a wheelchair. He needs help getting into and out his hospital bed. He has no bowel or bladder control. He has to be changed, washed and dressed. He needs a wheelchair to get around. He has a motorized wheelchair which, thankfully, has helped him tremendously in his independence around the house.
The downside of Richie’s motorized wheelchair is that it weighs over 1000 lbs. and is not portable. The only way to transport Rich in his wheelchair is in a van outfitted with a ramp to accommodate his chair, and this is something we cannot afford. I have to hire a transport ambulance to take him in his wheelchair to doctor and medical appointments which is very costly, so we can’t take him out to the movies, shopping, visiting friends and family, etc.
The Expenses
There are so many expenses that go along with taking care of a paraplegic. There is so much special equipment my husband needs and all of it is expensive. For example, I recently purchased a rolling shower chair for him, which cost $750.00. Rich has to take many medicines and needs many medical care supplies which are costly. I pay for a private home health care provider to assist me a couple of days a week to wash and dress him in the morning, because taking care of him is taking a toll on my physical health. The enormity of the financial burden of Rich’s paralysis is overwhelming for our family in addition to the physical, mental and emotional toll it has taken on us.
Why Rich Needs Your Help
I am hoping that this fundraiser will help alleviate some of the economic hardship Rich’s paralysis has caused our family. If we could afford to buy a wheelchair accessible van, I would not have to pay for a transport ambulance to get him out. It would also make a difference to the quality of his life because he could get out to the movies, stores, visits to family and friends, etc. I hopeful that this fundraiser will help us to purchase a wheelchair accessible van and help us with the financial burden we are faced with since Rich has become paralyzed.
For almost 20 years my husband was a certified high school umpire for baseball and referee for basketball. Over those years Rich made many friends with and was very well liked by the students, teachers, coaches, athletic directors, and the various umpires and referees he worked with and met. He sorely misses umpiring and refereeing, and the people he met and befriended. I am hoping these people will remember him now in his time of need.
Please give what you can (no donation is too small and is tax deductible). To help us get the word out share this link to your Facebook Timeline and other social media! Email this page to your family and friends!
Our deepest gratitude and thanks to anyone and everyone who donates.
God bless you!
Gloria and Rich Naso
Organizer and beneficiary
Mark Vitanza
Organizer
Franklin Township, NJ
Gloria Taormina Naso
Beneficiary
