Dave's GBS Journey
Donation protected
December 17th....Prior to that day my father was "that guy." Before Guillian Barre Syndrome turned his body against itself.
The one who could always be found out in the garage or the yard. Always puttering. Everyone always came first; myself, my Grandmothers and my daughter included. Even when he was diagnosed with Prostate cancer this summer, he asked no one cry and if we wanted to say something about it then it better be positive.
Now he sit's inside he and my Mother's home, awaking each morning wondering if today will be the day. Maybe today he will be able to use his hands, feet, legs again. That day is far from here. His most recent prognosis is that his nerves are growing back at a rate of an inch per month. In a man his size it realistically could be years before he is walking again.
He told me he has moments that seem so normal, when he is watching an old racing tape, that he forgets for a second that he is trapped in a body full of burned nerves, unable to move without the assitance of a hoya lift and wheelchair.
Gullian Barre Syndrome has ravaged my father's body.
The medical cost to keep him alive while in the ICU in Bangor on top of the cost of making the home liveable for his recovery is proving trying. New ramps and porches, hospital beds, lifts. All the while my proud parents have said no to a goFundme page or any kind of financial help. They are hard working people but their insurances are failing them and they are falling between the cracks. As their daughter I can see the worry. The reality needs to be faced that he will not be returning to work any time soon. There is so much more that is needed at the house to help make my father comfortable and to help him recover the way he deserves. His grandchildren deserve a Grandfather who can play with them, his wife deserves a husband she can walk their land with. We all need our number one guy back on his feet!
If you have nothing to donate we still thank you a thousand times for reading this! As my Dad will tell you, don't ever take a single second for granted. He is living proof that things can change in the matter of a breath...
Sending all my love!
Paige and the rest of the Phillips family <3
The one who could always be found out in the garage or the yard. Always puttering. Everyone always came first; myself, my Grandmothers and my daughter included. Even when he was diagnosed with Prostate cancer this summer, he asked no one cry and if we wanted to say something about it then it better be positive.
Now he sit's inside he and my Mother's home, awaking each morning wondering if today will be the day. Maybe today he will be able to use his hands, feet, legs again. That day is far from here. His most recent prognosis is that his nerves are growing back at a rate of an inch per month. In a man his size it realistically could be years before he is walking again.
He told me he has moments that seem so normal, when he is watching an old racing tape, that he forgets for a second that he is trapped in a body full of burned nerves, unable to move without the assitance of a hoya lift and wheelchair.
Gullian Barre Syndrome has ravaged my father's body.
The medical cost to keep him alive while in the ICU in Bangor on top of the cost of making the home liveable for his recovery is proving trying. New ramps and porches, hospital beds, lifts. All the while my proud parents have said no to a goFundme page or any kind of financial help. They are hard working people but their insurances are failing them and they are falling between the cracks. As their daughter I can see the worry. The reality needs to be faced that he will not be returning to work any time soon. There is so much more that is needed at the house to help make my father comfortable and to help him recover the way he deserves. His grandchildren deserve a Grandfather who can play with them, his wife deserves a husband she can walk their land with. We all need our number one guy back on his feet!If you have nothing to donate we still thank you a thousand times for reading this! As my Dad will tell you, don't ever take a single second for granted. He is living proof that things can change in the matter of a breath...
Sending all my love!
Paige and the rest of the Phillips family <3
Organizer and beneficiary
Paige Phillips
Organizer
Oakland, ME
Debbie Phillips
Beneficiary
