Scotts Spinal Surgery And Recovery

On Monday, February 11, 2019, my best friend's dad, Scott came home from work and unloaded his truck and decided to organize his tools. He picked something up and automatically felt some kind of a pain in his back, but of course, he didn’t think anything of it because he had a long tiring day at work and assumed he was just sore. The next day, he was in so much pain, he said it was difficult for him to breathe and even hurt to walk to the kitchen, so he called off of work and laid in bed for the next two days. By Wednesday night, he finally to go to the emergency room. If any of you know Scott, you know this is a big deal. He doesn’t ask for help, ever...and thinks he can fix everything himself on his own. Hence, why I’m making this gofundme because he is not the one to ask for help, and he is much too humble for that. So, of course, we knew this was a big deal. They ran a few tests and determined it was a strained muscle and sent him home with some pain medication. He continued to feel worse and stayed in bed for a couple more days, hoping that sleeping it off will help.By Saturday morning, he woke up feeling like something was very wrong. Scott was paralyzed from the chest down!! After enduring many X-rays and tests, an MRI revealed what Scott and his family were actually dealing with. A staph infection had somehow taken root in his spinal cord and created a pocket of fluid. The abscess compressed his spinal nerves, causing the paralysis in the lower half of his body. Scott was taken into an emergency four hour spinal surgery. The neurosurgeon drained the abscess, and also removed the infected parts of his spine by shaving parts of the bones that were infected. Although the neurosurgeon removed the infection from his spine, the infection is still in his bloodstream, so he will have to take antibiotics for another six weeks. Ten days later since the surgery, he is still in the hospital and still has no control of his legs or toes. He feels tingling sensations in some areas of his legs and when you touch him he can at least feel that you are touching him. Which is awesome news, and there is still hope that he will be able to recover. After the hospital, he’ll need full time care and will be in a rehabilitation center for a while. There’s no way of knowing how many weeks/months/years of intense physical therapy it will take for him to regain the ability to do simple things like stand, walk, and drive. And no telling, if he’ll ever be able to go back to his job in construction as an electrician. We learned that Scott's recovery would be tough and he would be very limited in what he can do for himself. Aside from the physical and emotional toll, his family is now faced with a major medical situation and a large sum of money needed in order to see it through. All of the medical bills are piling up, and then there is all of the follow-up care and additional expenses not associated with the initial trip and treatment at the hospital, such as physical therapy, medication, and even special equipment for their home. They have been told that the medical fees at the hospital alone will be upwards of $160,000 or more.My heart breaks for him and his family because here I am just sitting there knowing that I can’t do anything while watching one of the strongest men I know to be in such physical and mental pain, and being unable to move. I’m reaching out because I don’t know what else to do. It is difficult and humbling to have to ask for help, but I am asking on his behalf because I know how badly he and his family want him to recover. Any and every donation is so incredibly helpful. I know his family will appreciate and cherish anything that you may be able to give. I am also asking for prayers for Scott to ease his pain and give him strength. Thanks for taking the time to read this and please share with as many people as you can!!