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Ed's Bring-Me-Back-2-USA Med Fund

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Ed was on the trip of a lifetime.  He had spent his career as an Occupational Therapist helping others get back on their feet, and now he and his wife, Christine, were going to take a little time for themselves.  A trip to the other side of the world, Bahrain, to visit Christine’s sister who had recently relocated there.  They left just before New Year’s Eve, and upon arrival, took in the local scenes and boarded a cruise to see the Persian Gulf.  Unfortunately, just a few days into the trip, he coughed hard and heard a pop in his lower back. The pain overwhelmed him, and Christine quickly sought medical assistance.  The medical team on board tried to stabilize him, but they had to get him to port and to a hospital as soon as possible.  They finally arrived in Oman, and once at the hospital it was determined he had a fractured sacrum. 
 
As the doctors continued their examination, they found more bad news: a lesion on his sacrum that will require the expertise of a spinal surgeon. This has increased the urgency of this situation.  Ed cannot sit up or get out of bed. He cannot turn to the side even slightly without strong pain medication, and even with medicine the pain and muscle spasms are often too painful for him to bear. After helping so many people through his life, he is now the one that cannot get back on his feet. He needs to return home to pursue much more extensive medical care and surgery, but commercial flights are not an option in his condition.  His only course of action is to acquire a Medical Flight home.  The costs for this are exorbitant, ranging between $100K and $150K.
 
Ed has been a very close personal friend of mine for many years.  He and Christine welcomed me into their hearts and home when I was beginning my own career.  They’ve extended this level of generosity not only to me, but to my family and to everyone else who has been lucky to count them as friends.  They are truly big-hearted people.   To know that they are now experiencing such a traumatic event in such an unfamiliar place so far from home is gut-wrenching.  I am having difficulty comprehending this has happened to such wonderful people, and it makes my soul ache to not be able to bring them home. 
 
I am reaching out to friends, family, and even strangers to donate any sum, no matter the size, to assist in acquiring Ed a Medical Flight home and for assistance with the unexpected medical expenses.  The amount of money they would need to borrow would plunge these two wonderful people into a lifetime of massive debt, assuming they could even find the loans or resources to help.  Please help us bring our friends home to the USA as quickly as possible!
 
P.S.: If anyone has any connections that could help reduce this cost, please let us know!
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Donations 

  • Marilyn Holland
    • $100 
    • 7 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Ryan Williams
Organizer
St Louis, MO
Ed Schultz
Beneficiary

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