Additional Hospital Expenses and Hotel Expenses

My dad, Dave Flaugh has ALS and the disease has progressed. Over the last year it has become increasingly hard for my dad to breath and he has become almost completely dependent on the use of a Bypap machine to breath for him. He is also currently at a high risk for aspiration due to difficultly swallowing solid food. With that being said, my brave and selfless father has decided to continue this fight against ALS by having a tracheostomy and feeding tube inserted. These surgical procedures involve inserting a tube into the patient’s throat to allow direct access to the airway. This tube is then connected to a mechanical ventilator. Then the feeding tube is inserted into the abdomen to allow liquid nutrients to be delivered directly to the stomach. This procedure will allow my dad to continue doing the things he loves much more comfortably than he currently can. The surgery was on Monday, October 19th in Pittsburgh at the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. The surgery went as expected and he is recovering now, trying to overcome the pain that he is in. They have pushed back his hospital stay another week to make sure he is healing well and to prevent any complications. They are now worried he might have an infection, which they just ordered labs to be drawn, and also a culture. My mother has already stayed in Pittsburg for 8 days now and I know she is stressed out financially due to the hotel and hospital expenses. They will probably have to extend their hospital stay even longer now, unfortunately, depending on the results of the labs and culture to determine if there is an infection. I hate to ask for money from people, but any small amount will help, and will definitely relieve additional stress that my mom has to endure in this difficult situation.  

Thank you so much, with lots of love,

Meghan Flaugh (daughter of Dave Flaugh).