Deacon Jim's Medical Recovery Fund

Deacon Jim Carter of Washington, MO contracted an extreme case of cellulitis on October 28, putting him into the hospital for treatment through most, if not all, of November and possibly into December. Deacon Jim is a contract accountant by trade, meaning that he is not paid when not working. He and his wife, Pam, still have two high school students at home. With no income from Jim through at least year-end, medical costs, continued treatment costs and year-end expenses, he needs some help to get by. Please consider donating a few dollars to get Deacon Jim back on his feet and relieve the financial stress he and his family are feeling. Know that he doesn't like to ask for donations for himself, but knows he needs help for these few months and is grateful for all prayers and assistance.

Details:  Deacon Jim was admitted to the hospital with cellulitis, but other complications rapidly arose. With his legs swelling to over twice their normal size and a high temperature, he started going into renal failure and had to be treated for that. With all the fluids being given to him, he also developed pneumonia. Severe swelling occurred in most of his lower body. A fever of almost 104 and septic shock almost ended his life.

Lack of progress showed a need to transfer Deacon Jim to Mercy-St. Louis Hospital to get more detailed diagnosis and treatment, so he transferred there on Saturday, November 5. Radical treatment was called for and Deacon Jim underwent surgery for a debridement of all the infected tissues on Monday, November 7, killing all the skin tissue on his lower right leg. Treatment of the other issues continued and surgery to perform skin grafts occurred on Monday, November 14. The skin grafts appear to have held and are healing well as of November 17.

Deacon Jim will most probably be in Mercy-St. Louis for several days more until he can be off of IV medications, treat the other continuing issues, let the grafts heal more and he can gain strength. After that he will probably got to a Rehab Hospital until he can regain enough strength to go home, most probably after Thanksgiving. Home rehab will occur then, but no work is possible until probably January, if any contracts are available then.

This unforeseen tragedy is weighing heavily on Deacon Jim and Pam. He is reluctant to ask for help, but knows that he needs some short-term assistance to get through this for the lost income and increased costs. Please consider giving to him and his family to make the holidays a bit better for them. They all appreciate all consideration.