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My name is Joseph Pianelli, I’m 31 years old, and I am an Epileptic. I suffer from grand mal seizures, even though I am on medication, am under the care of a physician, and have a Vagal Nerve Stimulator (VNS) in my chest, which minimizes the frequency of my seizures.
On August 20, 2018 at 9:30 pm I had a breakthrough seizure while driving home from work. I had been seizure free for nearly 8 months. I hit a tree and sustained serious injuries to my ankle, which was shattered on impact; additionally, I broke 3 ribs and bruised my lungs. I was initially brought to the South Georgia Medical Center, but due to the severity of my injuries I needed to be rushed to the Trauma Unit at UF Shands in Jacksonville, FL, which is almost 2 hours from my home in Valdosta, GA. An ambulance brought me to Jacksonville, and on arrival I underwent emergency surgery on my ankle in order to compress the injury with an External Fixation, so that the bones would have the chance to heal properly.
Three weeks later and I am still in the hospital, undergoing rehabilitation and physical therapy, and waiting for the swelling to subside in my leg so that I can have the follow-up surgery to reconstruct my ankle and leg. From my understanding thus far, I will have a fusion done, but amputation has been mentioned as a worst case scenario, but a possible option.
I have a fiancée, Ila, and 5 month old son, named Joey, at home and all of this has been difficult for them as well. Since the vehicle involved in the accident was totaled and our only car, Ila needs to rely on others to do errands and to get around. In our town, we don’t have public transportation. When she wants to come and visit me here at the hospital in Jacksonville, she rents a car each time, which financially is a tremendous burden, especially at this time. When I am finally able to go home, I will still need to continue therapy and go to doctor’s appointments, both for my Epilepsy and this injury.
We don’t know what the future will bring, but we do know that we have a long road ahead of us. I will not be able to return to work for some time and I don’t know how I will recover from this second surgery, but I am thankful to be alive and my family and I are optimistic about the future. We need to be able to thoroughly take care of our son, ourselves, and our home… so we need help. Not having a means of transportation is going to be difficult for my family, and Ila needs to have a vehicle to drive to take care of us. We are looking to buy something modest, safe, and reliable, but financially we cannot do that on our own. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and, from the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate any help that we receive.
Signed,
Joe Pianelli
On August 20, 2018 at 9:30 pm I had a breakthrough seizure while driving home from work. I had been seizure free for nearly 8 months. I hit a tree and sustained serious injuries to my ankle, which was shattered on impact; additionally, I broke 3 ribs and bruised my lungs. I was initially brought to the South Georgia Medical Center, but due to the severity of my injuries I needed to be rushed to the Trauma Unit at UF Shands in Jacksonville, FL, which is almost 2 hours from my home in Valdosta, GA. An ambulance brought me to Jacksonville, and on arrival I underwent emergency surgery on my ankle in order to compress the injury with an External Fixation, so that the bones would have the chance to heal properly.
Three weeks later and I am still in the hospital, undergoing rehabilitation and physical therapy, and waiting for the swelling to subside in my leg so that I can have the follow-up surgery to reconstruct my ankle and leg. From my understanding thus far, I will have a fusion done, but amputation has been mentioned as a worst case scenario, but a possible option.
I have a fiancée, Ila, and 5 month old son, named Joey, at home and all of this has been difficult for them as well. Since the vehicle involved in the accident was totaled and our only car, Ila needs to rely on others to do errands and to get around. In our town, we don’t have public transportation. When she wants to come and visit me here at the hospital in Jacksonville, she rents a car each time, which financially is a tremendous burden, especially at this time. When I am finally able to go home, I will still need to continue therapy and go to doctor’s appointments, both for my Epilepsy and this injury.
We don’t know what the future will bring, but we do know that we have a long road ahead of us. I will not be able to return to work for some time and I don’t know how I will recover from this second surgery, but I am thankful to be alive and my family and I are optimistic about the future. We need to be able to thoroughly take care of our son, ourselves, and our home… so we need help. Not having a means of transportation is going to be difficult for my family, and Ila needs to have a vehicle to drive to take care of us. We are looking to buy something modest, safe, and reliable, but financially we cannot do that on our own. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and, from the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate any help that we receive.
Signed,
Joe Pianelli
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Organizer
Joey Pianelli
Organizer
Valdosta, GA
