Ryker's Fund
***Update***
This summer has been very difficult. Since Ryker's bite on April 16th he has had 4 infections in the left bite along his jaw line. They have been painful and he has relied on antibiotics virtually all summer long. Today Ryker had surgery and it was discovered that he not only sustained soft tissue damage from the dog bite but that the dog's tooth actually bit into his jaw bone. It is believed that this has been the source of his nasty infections. The cavern is apx the size of a raisin at this stage. Cultures and bone biopsies were done so we can pinpoint the bug. The official diagnosis is Osteomyelitis at this time. He will require the care of an Infections Disease specialist and as of now we have been told we will need to travel to the U of I hospital in Iowa City or go to Mayo Clinic in Rochester. He will require a central venous access line such as a PICC or port and will require 6-8 weeks of IV antibiotics. Ryker is due to start 1st grade next Tuesday and at this point we can only hope for the best and work hard to prevent the worst. Medical bills will now have reached $40,000 and while insurance has covered some of the cost the co pays, deductibles, time off work and travel have been difficult. But nothing compares to the fight our little guy has put up over the past 4 months. Rich and I are truly humbled by the perseverance, courage and grace he has displayed.
***Origional Post***
We are the Palmer family. Shana, Rich, Ryker and Warrick. Specifically, I'm Rich. We are here, because my oldest son, Ryker (6), was recently bitten by my neighbor's dog. One Saturday night around 8:30, we heard our neighbor yelling from the back yard. My wife stepped out, and immediately screamed for me. She ran out of the house, and came back in with Ryker, blood running down his face and splattered down his shirt and jeans. Being a Paramedic and Nurse couple we immediately called an ambulance, and went to a children's ER for care. Once there the Attending confirmed what we suspected...that Ryker would need reconstruction by a Plastic Surgeon to prevent huge thick scars that would leave his face mamed. After examining the multiple punctures Ryker was put under Deep Sedation and the process of cleaning and sewing began. For over an hour the surgeon sewed up the layers of tissue most torn to the bone. Through all this Ryker was the bravest child I have ever seen. He insisted on holding pressure on his own wounds until it was time for surgery. He managed to create elephant ears out of tissues when he woke up from surgery and after getting home he kissed his dog and said "let's go to bed Zero". He has been a true example of courage and perserverance.
Today we learned that our neighbor did not have an insurance policy that will cover any of the incurred costs. Our medical insurance has already flagged the events for non payment as technically another party should be liable. However, our neighbors live like we do...paycheck to paycheck. That leaves nothing to give.
Any and all donations to this program will be used for the costs associated with this incident, to include medical bills, transportation costs, and the like. Any extra will be placed into Ryker's college fund, because the boy deserves more than just an oops, sorry your face got disfigured.
Our goal is to have the money when the insurance company starts sending us the bill. Thus far the bills total almost 10,000 dollars. This huge number does not include the fees of the plastic surgeon that left a date on Saturday night to come in and repair Ryker's little face. Your help will mean so much for our family. Our goals for this summer were simple... buy a wodden swing set and trampoline for Ryker, fence in the rest of the back yard and take an overnight trip to the Omaha Zoo. All of this has been put on hold. Our savings is gone between the out of pocket costs we have already paid and the days of missed work. Our days off have turned into overtime and going to appointments. Your donations could mean a portion of our plans for the summer may still be possible.
We plan to thank each and every one of you in turn, but I want to put this to you all as well. We appreciate EVERY single donation made be it 1 dollar or 100 dollars. Thank you for taking the time to read, and THANK YOU for offering up your hard earned money to help us in our time of need. It means a lot to us, and words cannot express the gratitude we feel towards you.
