Dicki Ward Recovery Fund

Friends, family and wider community, we reach out today with a call for help. Our father, Dicki Ward, was in Mobile, Alabama with our mom last weekend on a scuba diving trip when he suffered an air embolism during his dive that traveled to his brain causing a stroke. He was medi-flighted to the nearest hospital and promptly placed in a hyperbaric recompression chamber in the ICU where he stayed for four days in critical condition. The stroke occurred on the left side of his brain, causing immobility on the right side of his body which affected his speech and motor functions. While he has made partial improvement over the last several days, we are still unsure how much of the damage is permanent and how much he will recover over time.

As of Thursday, September 13th, he was able to be moved to a room in the rehab wing, where he will continue to receive physical therapy and rehabilitation, as well as further daily hyperbaric treatments before he can be medically cleared to travel home. We’ve been advised that he must be physically independent enough for the doctors to feel comfortable with him traveling the long distance back to Oklahoma City to continue treatments.

At this point in time, our mother, Ronda, is staying in a hotel across the street in order to be close to our dad. There are still several unknowns in terms of their length of stay in Alabama, and the costs associated with his medical care and her basic needs (lodging, food, etc...) as she tends to our dad are mounting daily.

My sister and I thoughtfully came up with a goal amount by discussing future anticipated costs with our mom. We did our best to come up with an accurate monetary reflection of what meeting their needs might look like over the next several weeks. However, the reality is we don’t exactly know what is in store. We know medical costs will be high and there will be extensive recovery time while Dicki isn’t working. We want our parents to be able to strictly focus on his healing and remaining positive without the added stress of money while being hospital bound in a different state.

We are asking today for your help in supporting Dicki and Ronda. Right now we’d like to focus on lifting the financial strain of paying for their time in Alabama during Dicki’s initial recovery, however any donations received above and beyond their early needs will be dedicated to his medical bills and potential loss of income as he continues to heal. We know it’s a big ask; but if not his community and his friends, who else?

The first, best, and most direct help that can be given is through this GoFundMe effort. If you know our dad, then you are well aware that he is one of those rare people who has the truly selfless heart of a servant; he will always go above and beyond for his family and friends. If his goodness, selflessness, quick wit and undeniable enthusiasm for life and the people in it has ever touched your life, please consider taking this time to show that love back in his time of need.

Secondly, in whatever version of prayer your practice, please hold our precious parents in your hearts. Keep the good intentions and healing love flowing so that we can have our dad back to loving on his kids and grandkids soon; my sister and I deeply feel the pain of being unable to be at his side to shower him with all the love we would if he were home. We are so ready to lay eyes on him and hug his neck!

With our deepest gratitude,

Lacy and Paige (Dicki’s daughters)