Support for Brian Clark’s Surgical Complications

We are the Clark Family. Our dad, Brian, is the main breadwinner of our household. He is what keeps our family afloat financially. He has been providing for us for the past six years. He works in a factory where he deals with extreme heat and cold. He is also constantly on his feet while he is making parts. This is where the problem begins.

Our dad has Charcot in his left foot and neuropathy in both feet.

Neuropathy is a condition where the nerves are damaged, therefore you lose feeling in your feet. Our dad has severe neuropathy to the point where he has absolutely no feeling in his feet. He developed a large and deep wound on the side of his foot from it rubbing against his shoe. He has no feeling, so he did not realize that it was a gaping hole and he continued to walk on it. This led to infections and antibiotics.

Charcot Foot is a part of neuropathy. He has this condition in his left foot. Charcot is very rare and affects less than 1% of people. The bones in the foot begin to soften and break, which is very dangerous when paired with neuropathy. Since our dad has absolutely no feeling in his foot, he was unaware that multiple bones in his foot were breaking. Over time they would heal, but they would heal the wrong way. His toes would curl over his foot in an effort to balance him from the bones and tissue breaking down. He had his big toe partially amputated. His foot shifted due to this condition and instead of walking on his heel, he was walking on the side of his ankle. This caused extreme pain up his ankle.

He is constantly on his feet at work. With him working at a factory, he is required to wear steel toe boots. However, his doctor informed us that he needed to constantly wear a surgical boot and he could only walk with crutches or a scooter. If he continued to work, then he would greatly increase the chances of having an amputation just below his knee. Therefore, he could not go back to work.

He had surgery on November 1st, 2024. They put multiple screws in his left foot and a large metal rod that goes from toe to heel. They also reconstructed his ankle and arch. This was a very extensive and long surgery. It is crucial that he stays off of his foot. He cannot go back to work until February at the very earliest.

Since he was the main source of income for the family, we are struggling. He has been off work since the beginning of September. His short-term disability pays very little and we have exhausted our savings. We are asking for help as a last-ditch effort. We do not have much money for bills, for groceries, or for medicines. We are drowning at the moment. This situation has been very hard on all of us, but especially for my dad. He has worked so hard for our family, and we want to help relieve his stress and help him focus on recovery. We greatly appreciate anything that you are willing to give. Thank you so much.