One Step At A Time

My name is Ileea Auclair and I am here to tell my brother’s story. On Sunday evening I received a phone call from my brother Justin Ozeroff that he had been admitted to the Trail hospital with an infection from a cut in the bottom of his foot. He reassured me that everything would be alright and that he was going to be treated and monitored for a few days and then released. The next phone call that came changed my brother’s life forever. We were told that the infection was spreading too fast and not responding to the antibiotics. His foot needed to be amputated. Justin met with the surgeons on Wednesday morning to discuss the procedure of removing his foot and helped him to begin mentally preparing for the road to recovery. As Justin was coming to terms of what was going to happen next, no one knew just how fast the infection had spread. During the operation, the surgeons realized the extent of the infection and had to make the decision to to perform a full, below the knee amputation to prevent the infection from continuing to spread. When Justin awoke from the surgery, he was devastated to see how much of his leg had to be removed. Yet despite this sudden shock, he maintained his positive attitude that he would not let this get him down. Justin has been adapting to his new life in amazing strides. However, the financial burden of the sudden loss of income as the primary provider for his family of four is really taking its toll on him. At this time, Justin is paying out of pocket for the rentals of his wheelchair, walker, crutches, stump cradle and bathtub assistant. Medical equipment rental for all of that quickly adds up. It’s going to be a few months before Justin is healed enough to be fit for his first temporary prosthetic, which will also require an out of pocket deductible. I am starting this Go Fund Me campaign in hopes of raising enough money to purchase a wheelchair for my brother and to purchase of the remainder of the equipment he will need in his new journey as an amputee. Through all of this my brother has maintained his amazing sense of humor and is managing his new life with only one leg so incredibly well. I am hoping that if some of this financial burden can be lifted off his shoulders that he can continue to put his energy into his physical therapy and recovery. He's doing his best to while keep that sense of humor that shines as bright as the sun, making everyone around him laugh even through his own struggles. Thank you so incredibly much for reading the story of how my brother’s life has so suddenly changed. I am looking forward to keeping everyone updated on his progress and his journey.