Arthur "Gary" McHugh and Family Need Help
Donation protected
Many of you have asked me “How can we help?” In addition to the prayer support groups, Arthur and his family need some financial assistance in order to make the transition to a less labor intensive lifestyle. We need to raise $15,450 for living expenses and $30,000 for medical expenses already incurred. Some have already provided some financial assistance but it is apparent that they will need much more. I know Arthur will not ask for help, but, unfortunately, I believe he is going to need more help than he realizes.
On March 22, Arthur was taken to the emergency room in La Grange with what turned out to be an intestinal infection. He was given antibiotics and released. After nearly a week he again began to experience pain, this time in his lower back. The pain became so severe he lost the use of his left leg and was unable to walk. On March 29 my husband Wayne and I took him back to the emergency room in La Grange. The LaGrange ER decided that he needed to be transferred to St David’s in Austin. There it was determined he needed to undergo surgery to fuse three vertebrae (L1 – L3) in his lower back (lumbar spine). Their deterioration was placing pressure on the spinal cord causing the pain. He’d had two (L4 & L5) fused just over a year ago. Though St David’s has performed the fusing procedure before they have never fused three together before.
Arthur has been a fixture at Cole’s Antique Show for many years. Unfortunately, he was taken to the hospital on the second day of the 2019 Spring Show. Numerous friends banded together to operate his booth but without Arthur’s knowledge of his product, sales were nothing like they would have been had Arthur been present.
Sean and Bambi
Mary came down to be with Arthur for his surgery on March 31. Their 10 year old son Sean is being cared for by their nephew and his family in Wisconsin. Their dog Bambi is being cared for by a family friend. Their oldest son James, is now an adult and living on his own. Mary utilized the Family Medical Leave Act in order to be with Arthur. This means she has a job to go back to, but, is not receiving any pay while here with Arthur. Even so, her income alone is insufficient for them to live on. Shortly after Mary arrived it was determined their truck, a 2005 Ford F350 dually, needed new grease seals on the rear axle. The repair cost just shy of $2,000.00.
Arthur was initially released on April 20. He and Mary along with my husband, Wayne and myself returned to Cole’s Antique Show in Warrenton Texas to close Arthur’s booth and pack his trailer. Afterwards, we all made our way to our home in Hewitt TX in order for Arthur to recuperate for several days before beginning the just over 1200 mile return trip home. Unfortunately, on Easter Sunday around 5 in the afternoon, Arthur was struck by another severe pain. After spending all night in the emergency room in Waco, he was transported by ambulance back to St David’s in Austin. It was determined that his gall bladder was the source of the pain (he had numerous stones) and would need to be removed. The procedure was completed on April 23 and he is scheduled to be released on April 30.
He and his wife have been here over a month. They hope to begin their trip home in a few days. Even so, the Doctor has made it very clear that Arthur MUST change his lifestyle. A “jolt” has the potential to paralyze him. He and his family need time to recuperate. He needs time to figure out a way to provide for himself and his family that does not involve all the manual labor. Through your generosity we hope to provide them with the means to pay their bills and give them enough time to make a transition.
You might be asking yourself so why should I help this family, other families may be going through as much, or even worse. I’d like to share with you some of the history of Arthur’s (Gary’s) life.
First, some of you may know him as Gary McHugh, while others know him as Arthur McHugh. As a young child, Arthur’s folks divorced. His mother, he and his siblings moved to Florida. Unbeknownst to them, his father had his name legally changed from Gary McHugh to Arthur McHugh. Arthur’s mother found out when she went to register him for school.
His mother remarried and had two more children. At the age of 15, Arthur was kicked out of their home. He lived on the streets for years. Doing odd jobs, he scrimped and saved to buy a small boat which he used to fish and sale those fish in order to support himself. He would work at virtually any job that would provide him with the means to live.
Years go by in which he overcame his troubled youth, he married Mary who had a son James. He also managed to create a business in Florida which allowed him to purchase a modest home, an RV and allowed he and Mary to adopt their son Sean.
Arthur expanded his business by going on the road using the RV while Mary continued to work full time. Over the years, Arthur and Mary made the decision to cut shows as they became unprofitable.
Unfortunately, the demographics of the neighborhood in which the original business was located, deteriorated. In addition, in 2010, while undergoing maintenance, their RV burned to the ground. Though they tried to recover the cost from those responsible via a lawsuit, it could not be determined who was at fault. Arthur and Mary shook it off and soldiered on.
Eventually, he and Mary decided to close the original business, sell their home and return to Wisconsin where Mary’s family lived. If Arthur was going to be on the road he wanted family nearby to look after his wife and youngest son. When not on the road, Arthur worked at a dairy farm nearby. They weren’t as secure as they used to be, but they managed.
Arthur is fiercely loyal to his family, his friends and those he sees as being mistreated. We have seen this at Cole’s. He is a man who is not afraid to take up a cause and a very hard worker. He has helped those who are in unfortunate circumstances. And it is only with extreme reluctance that he has allowed us to ask the public for help.
Arthur has relied mostly on the strength of his body his entire life in order to provide for himself and his family and now he can’t do that anymore. Please continue those prayer groups for Arthur, Mary and their children. Please help me, help Arthur, Mary and his family overcome the obstacles they currently face!
On March 22, Arthur was taken to the emergency room in La Grange with what turned out to be an intestinal infection. He was given antibiotics and released. After nearly a week he again began to experience pain, this time in his lower back. The pain became so severe he lost the use of his left leg and was unable to walk. On March 29 my husband Wayne and I took him back to the emergency room in La Grange. The LaGrange ER decided that he needed to be transferred to St David’s in Austin. There it was determined he needed to undergo surgery to fuse three vertebrae (L1 – L3) in his lower back (lumbar spine). Their deterioration was placing pressure on the spinal cord causing the pain. He’d had two (L4 & L5) fused just over a year ago. Though St David’s has performed the fusing procedure before they have never fused three together before.
Arthur has been a fixture at Cole’s Antique Show for many years. Unfortunately, he was taken to the hospital on the second day of the 2019 Spring Show. Numerous friends banded together to operate his booth but without Arthur’s knowledge of his product, sales were nothing like they would have been had Arthur been present.
Sean and BambiMary came down to be with Arthur for his surgery on March 31. Their 10 year old son Sean is being cared for by their nephew and his family in Wisconsin. Their dog Bambi is being cared for by a family friend. Their oldest son James, is now an adult and living on his own. Mary utilized the Family Medical Leave Act in order to be with Arthur. This means she has a job to go back to, but, is not receiving any pay while here with Arthur. Even so, her income alone is insufficient for them to live on. Shortly after Mary arrived it was determined their truck, a 2005 Ford F350 dually, needed new grease seals on the rear axle. The repair cost just shy of $2,000.00.
Arthur was initially released on April 20. He and Mary along with my husband, Wayne and myself returned to Cole’s Antique Show in Warrenton Texas to close Arthur’s booth and pack his trailer. Afterwards, we all made our way to our home in Hewitt TX in order for Arthur to recuperate for several days before beginning the just over 1200 mile return trip home. Unfortunately, on Easter Sunday around 5 in the afternoon, Arthur was struck by another severe pain. After spending all night in the emergency room in Waco, he was transported by ambulance back to St David’s in Austin. It was determined that his gall bladder was the source of the pain (he had numerous stones) and would need to be removed. The procedure was completed on April 23 and he is scheduled to be released on April 30.
He and his wife have been here over a month. They hope to begin their trip home in a few days. Even so, the Doctor has made it very clear that Arthur MUST change his lifestyle. A “jolt” has the potential to paralyze him. He and his family need time to recuperate. He needs time to figure out a way to provide for himself and his family that does not involve all the manual labor. Through your generosity we hope to provide them with the means to pay their bills and give them enough time to make a transition.
You might be asking yourself so why should I help this family, other families may be going through as much, or even worse. I’d like to share with you some of the history of Arthur’s (Gary’s) life.
First, some of you may know him as Gary McHugh, while others know him as Arthur McHugh. As a young child, Arthur’s folks divorced. His mother, he and his siblings moved to Florida. Unbeknownst to them, his father had his name legally changed from Gary McHugh to Arthur McHugh. Arthur’s mother found out when she went to register him for school.
His mother remarried and had two more children. At the age of 15, Arthur was kicked out of their home. He lived on the streets for years. Doing odd jobs, he scrimped and saved to buy a small boat which he used to fish and sale those fish in order to support himself. He would work at virtually any job that would provide him with the means to live.
Years go by in which he overcame his troubled youth, he married Mary who had a son James. He also managed to create a business in Florida which allowed him to purchase a modest home, an RV and allowed he and Mary to adopt their son Sean.
Arthur expanded his business by going on the road using the RV while Mary continued to work full time. Over the years, Arthur and Mary made the decision to cut shows as they became unprofitable.
Unfortunately, the demographics of the neighborhood in which the original business was located, deteriorated. In addition, in 2010, while undergoing maintenance, their RV burned to the ground. Though they tried to recover the cost from those responsible via a lawsuit, it could not be determined who was at fault. Arthur and Mary shook it off and soldiered on.
Eventually, he and Mary decided to close the original business, sell their home and return to Wisconsin where Mary’s family lived. If Arthur was going to be on the road he wanted family nearby to look after his wife and youngest son. When not on the road, Arthur worked at a dairy farm nearby. They weren’t as secure as they used to be, but they managed.
Arthur is fiercely loyal to his family, his friends and those he sees as being mistreated. We have seen this at Cole’s. He is a man who is not afraid to take up a cause and a very hard worker. He has helped those who are in unfortunate circumstances. And it is only with extreme reluctance that he has allowed us to ask the public for help.
Arthur has relied mostly on the strength of his body his entire life in order to provide for himself and his family and now he can’t do that anymore. Please continue those prayer groups for Arthur, Mary and their children. Please help me, help Arthur, Mary and his family overcome the obstacles they currently face!
Organizer and beneficiary
Kathy Arbaugh
Organizer
Hewitt, TX
Arthur McHugh
Beneficiary
