Doug's Stroke Rehab Fund

Family is not about blood.  It's about who is willing to hold your hand when you need it most!

HI... I am Colleen and for those who do not know Doug; Doug is my ex-husband who has been my friend since 3rd grade.

Doug has suffered some serious medical setbacks which requires a variety of therapies in order for him to regain his independence and come home. This is where you come in.  With your kind and caring generosity you can make a difference. 

Please take a few minutes and read Doug's story. Thank you!

Doug’s Story…

In October 2014 Doug called me at work and said one word...HELP!!  Knowing Doug; if he called for help, something was seriously wrong.  I left work and quickly called 911 as I raced to his apartment.  The fire department and ambulance  thought Doug was just suffering from a severe chest infection but when Doug got to the ambulance; he collapsed. They told me they had to stabilize him and I was to head to the hospital.  

Once I got to the ER, the doctors informed me that Doug had a massive heart attack due to a major blockage so they were sending him to the cath lab. 

While in the cath lab; Doug coded, leaving him in a coma for 7 days. 

Only 2 stents were put in because the back side of Doug's heart was dead. 

Doug now had only 50% of a functioning heart and the doctors did not give Doug a very good prognosis.  In fact they did not expect him to come out of his coma. 

However, Doug’s perseverance and determination showed that he was not ready to give up. Seventeen days later, Doug left the hospital.

Where was he going to live?  Doug’s company had closed up a few weeks prior to the heart attack. He had no job and no money to pay the rent. 

My husband and Doug had become good friends over the years; so we made the decision for him to move in with us.

For two years we had all settled into a routine living under the same roof.  

Then this past December 2016, Doug’s life took another drastic turn for the worse.   He suffered a massive stroke and brain swelling.  This left him in a semi coma for about a week. 

The outcome of his stroke left him with total left side paralysis and vision issues. Doug cannot see left of center or 1/2 of his visual field.

While in the hospital; we found out Doug was not meeting the recovery process quick enough for Medicaid so they wanted Doug discharged.  Which meant that he had to go into a rehab nursing home.

Once Doug was moved to the rehab nursing home, we found out Medicaid would NOT pay for any therapies. The irony is, Medicaid will pay to keep him in a nursing home for life but will not pay for any therapies so he can leave.

Bob and I discussed with Doug some affordable therapies that we heard about which were getting good results; acupuncture and HBT (hyperbaric therapy).  Doug was eager to get started.  

HBT is supposed to help his brain heal at a much faster rate due to the high levels of oxygen and the acupuncture is to help wake up his left side.

Doug started showing signs of improvement.  His thinking became clearer and his headaches were gone.  His left side was looser and more supple.  His nurse Jessie; seen him lifting his leg while in bed and said you could not knock the smile off his face!  We were on the right path.

Recently Dr. Beth D'Anna who has been providing HBT started Doug on mirror therapy;  which is supposed to help trick his brain into thinking his paralyzed side is moving. 

But even with everything that is currently being done, Dr. D'Anna said if we ever wanted to see Doug recover, he needed physical, occupational and vision therapies as well.

At 53, he is stuck in a nursing home watching those around him slowly die. All he wants is to walk and gain his independence back and come home.

Financially, we're struggling.  We explained the money problems to Doug and how this was going to impact him in his recovery; he broke down and cried.  He said he truly appreciated everything we were doing for him and he understood but he did not want to live the rest of his life in a nursing home.

Doug has always helped others whenever he could, even if it meant giving someone his last few dollars to help them out.  Now he needs others to help him.

To date, we have raised $700 of the $100,000 needed to help get Doug his treatments and therapies.

We have run out of money and are desperate for financial help so Doug can get the additional therapies he needs.

With your help, generosity and kindness; any donation that you could give to help Doug recover and come home would be greatly appreciated.  

Knowing Doug; he will feel the need to pay this generosity forward by helping others when he can.

Please forward to everyone you know. The more who see his story, the greater chance he has for recovery.

Thanks for reading Doug’s story....

God Bless!

Colleen