I’d like you to hear my dad’s story and how far he’s come in fighting through a tragic, life-threatening event that recently occurred in his life. On one hand, my family and I are so very grateful that he is still with us! However, on the other hand, we know how eternally grateful he’d be for help to overcome some incredibly difficult physical disabilities that he’s been faced with—BUT, because as the consummate giver, he would never think of ‘putting out his hand’ in life, I am doing this behind the scenes. I’m stepping up NOW to ask for help FOR HIM!

For starters, my dad married my mom in April 1974.  They have been inseparable best friends for over 45 years!  


He went into the Army in his early 20s and afterward became a city police officer in Philadelphia.  He was the friendly type of ‘neighborhood’ cop who was a strong friend and supporter in the community and was there to protect those he served so selflessly.  He hated giving tickets and often was known for letting people go with only a friendly warning.  


I came along in 1982 and my brother in 1985 and we also adopted my father's niece later in life, and she became my big sister. 

Here is a photo of my dad and me- one of my favorite pictures that I often look at & remember how grateful I am for him!


 Now, my dad is also a grandfather to my 2 toddlers.  He has been a man full of quiet strength and support.  A few months & years prior to his surgery in August 2017, he lead a full, serving life!  


Here is a picture of our 'lil family unit minus spouses & grandkids!



Considering this background, my  dad is a real living hero- 1.5 years ago his life was drastically altered due to an allergic reaction to  a drug the hospital gave him after open heart surgery.  He survived the heart surgery itself, but the drug that was administered as an  anti-clotting agent instead clotted his entire system.  Large clots  filled his entire body within hours and doctors could not reverse the process.  His fingers started turning blue and his lungs & kidneys started failing.  Doctors braced us that he wouldn’t survive  OR he would be left without body parts because of the lack of blood flow.  The drug administered was Heparin.  Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a prothrombotic adverse drug reaction. One third to one-half of cases of HIT are complicated by thrombosis, which may be limb- or life-threatening.Such is the case with my dad. Please see  the footnote at the end of this writing  for a scientific explanation on HIT that our family has become all to keenly aware of. 

Very heartbreaking is the fact that a test is actually available to determine whether patients are susceptible to such adverse reactions to Heparin, but it is not currently offered  in hospitals because it is considered “too expensive .”  Since my father wasn’t tested prior to his surgery,     after receiving this medication, he went into a coma for a month and is now left with such a horrible life altering condition with amputated thumbs, fingers, toes, is on kidney dialysis, and has swallowing and speech issues!  After a month of being in the coma , imagine awaking  to a scene something like that from  a HORROR MOVIE.  His hands and feet were black & severely decayed, like something you’d see on a decayed corpse.  His kidneys had permanently failed. His throat had been severed by an emergency tracheotomy that was necessary for him to breathe when his lungs had temporarily failed.  For the next year of his life, he fought for his life with so much to live for.  He went in for heart surgery and came out a maimed person from preventable complications caused by a medication that was supposed to help him. 



Over the next year, doctors informed him that his dead and decaying fingers & toes had to remain attached to his body until they either fell off OR until they could  be amputated once the effects of Heparin had fully taken effect (usually 9 months). It’s difficult to deal with the realization that in  2018, medical science has only advanced far enough that  a person must wait for their fingers and toes to fall off.   It was psychologically DEVASTATING for him to see his hands destroyed,- he was a master carpenter, artist, and ‘fixer of all’ at home. So for 9 months, he lived with corpse like fingers and toes, permanently failed kidneys, and a feeding tube from  the emergency tracheotomy that destroyed his ability to swallow.   In addition to all these challenges,  he was also left with a partially decayed tongue which has led to  a permanent speech impediment. He still can not eat  solid foods, use his hands, walk normally, articulate  words normally, or even use the bathroom and is hooked up to machines 24 hours a day. 

I’ve only seen my dad cry once in his life.  It was the night before he had most of his fingers on both hands amputated.  And he told me why he was crying.  “I won’t be able to protect your mom anymore.”  I began  crying with him.  At the very end of it all, he only cared about the woman he loved, who stayed faithfully beside him his whole life.  She fought for him in the hospital and became an RN just for him (without the degree).  She was/is his deeply loving, caring advocate. 

NOW, here we are in 2019, and I am BEYOND GRATEFUL to report that my dada, which I so affectionately call him, is still here!  He has more love in his 2 pinkies and ring fingers, that are left on his badly maimed hands, than some people have in all 10 fingers their whole life!  He waddles around on his badly maimed feet to fix our cars when we need it.  He sits to hold his grand-baby toddlers. Thankfully, he  just started to be able to swallow on his own last month!  But still he can’t taste anything but sugar (that sounds like a BIG WIN to me!).  He is hooked up to dialysis all night every night and sleeps uncomfortably.  But the hardest part is not having his hands to work—I see a deep sadness in his eyes asking me to help open a bottle for him or put a brush between his 2 fingers.  Or when he finally calls for help after trying many times on his own... 



Without thumbs or most of his fingers, he could so much use 2 prosthetic hands so he can work.  Can you imagine trying to do anything without a thumb on each hand?  

Insurance barely covers prosthetics in general.  So the best he could get for $8,000 was a fake thumb for each hand.  After seeing the result of this effort, I wasn't sure whether to frown or laugh!  REALLY?!!  



I bet you are wondering why he didn’t sue? Although he had such catastrophic damage,  several  heartbroken attorneys said it would not work, and my family is not litigious in general, but what we all wanted was funds to get him prosthetic hands, which fully functional, cost approximately $250,000!!  Most of their funds now go to his myriad of prescriptions and dialysis. My dad refuses to spend the money on himself.

With his heart to give, he still fights to help out as much as he can.  He is a fighter and a true GIVER at heart.  Here are a few shots of him fixing things!





SO, behind his & my mom's back, I’d like to see if the kindness of the world could help him.  I know it would touch a special place in his soul and aside from the major damage to his body, he has many years ahead of him, God-willing!

He’d be grateful to pick up a screw, brush his teeth, hold a spoon, and maybe one day button a button on his shirt.  Imagine only having your ring finger and pinky to do everything!  He has a sweet, kind way about him and ALWAYS becomes the favorite of doctors & nurses.  He's a patient person too.   If I dropped a spoon 5 times with food on it trying to just take a sip of soup, I would not smile as sweetly the way he does. 



This is HUMBLING for us, but thank you for hearing his story. 

Laura Curtin


**Footnotes: Heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a potentially devastating immune mediated adverse drug reaction caused by the emergence of antibodies that activate platelets in the presence of heparin. Despite thrombocytopenia, bleeding is rare; rather, HIT is strongly associated with thromboembolic complications involving both the arterial and venous systems. A number of laboratory tests are available to confirm the diagnosis; however, when HIT is clinically suspected, treatment should not be withheld pending the result. Fortunately, therapeutic strategies have been refined, and new and effective therapeutic agents are available. Treatment options are focused on inhibiting thrombin formation or direct thrombin inhibition. Warfarin should not be used until the platelet count has recovered. (US National Library of Medicine/ National Institutes of Health)