Support Dickie Buzik
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DICKIE’S STORY:Dickie Buzik is a proud Army Vietnam Veteran. This Go FUND Me site is dedicated to assisting with the financial hardships he is attempting to overcome. Dickie was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2017. The 12 month recovery time was extended considerably due to complications while getting his strength back. He has endured a grueling 8 month stay at the VA Hospital Center in Washington, DC. While fighting for his life, this has caused a great deal of stress financially as well as set him back in his daily life routines.
DICKIE’S BACKGROUND:
An Army Vietnam Veteran, who served our Country as an engineer, Dickie spent 27 months in Vietnam from 1967 - 1969 and fought the "TET Offensive" in 1968.
Dickie did not realize all of the complications that he would endure from these 27 months of service while being exposed to Agent Orange and other difficulties that have occurred later in life.
After choosing to have this surgery in January 2018 to hopefully rid himself of the esophageal cancer, Dickie has been hit hard with the after effects that have been extremely painful and difficult to endure. Knowing that the recovery process from this complicated 11 hour surgery would take as long as 12 months, many post operation problems occurred. These complications kept him hospitalized a great deal longer than expected. His longest consecutive stay in the hospital was 8 months, before returning home April 18, 2019. His arrival back to his home was emotional. He was informed by his Doctors and nurses upon his discharge that many do not return home after such illnesses.
Dickie has lost more than 100 pounds and the once bulky man is now a lean and skinny 170 lbs. He hopes to become stronger each week, but the setbacks have been a many, and he continues to fight in his recovery.
FINANCES ARE BEING USED FOR:
1. Repairs on the House - due to Dickie's limited mobility, the home needs 2 bathroom makeovers. Other repairs necessary are to fix ceiling leak, replace the floor on back porch and paint rooms.
2. Relieve Financial difficulties - Dickie's compensation was drastically cut by VA. During this time, Dickie has been fighting to keep up with finances and credit card debt has been accumulating.
3. Repairs / Maintenance on Vehicles - As a trained mechanic, Dickie is no longer able to work on and repair vehicles.
ADDITIONAL HARDSHIP:
Benefits / Compensation – The VA took away some of Dickie’s “rating” so he now receives substantially less money and is fighting to overcome this obstacle so that he can help get his finances back on track.
Clostridium Difficile – Dickie contracted "C Diff" which is an extremely painful and life threatening enlargement of the colon while recovering from the cancer operation. This type of complication caused severe setbacks in his healing process. Dickie contracted this condition 3 times while hospitalized and extended his recovery time to be 8 a total months before returning home April 18, 2019.
Other Complications – Dickie’s daily rehabilitation limits his mobility. He must walk daily to slowly build strength back in his legs and arms. Dickie’s diet is limited due to the amount of daily medication he must take to continue to recover. Fatigue and soreness are now a daily grind for Dickie, but he is pursuing his goals to gain weight and strength to be able to function normally once again.
Organizer and beneficiary
Tina MacAulay
Organizer
Huntingtown, MD
Pamela Buzik
Beneficiary
