Aid Joe Lavall's Recovery and Mobility Needs

My name is Karen Osborne. I am the oldest daughter of Joe Lavall. The past few months have been quite a challenge for my father.

Starting around Thanksgiving 2024, he was having trouble with his legs. On Christmas Eve, he was taken to the emergency room for low blood sugar. Since that day, he has fallen 3 times and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. Each time, we inquired about what might be causing his legs to become harder to move. The last visit to the ER, they told us it was just neuropathy and there was nothing that could be done. They offered to find him a nursing home for an extended stay. I will not allow him to sit in a nursing home. Starting in February 2025, his doctor started sending an in-home nurse and physical therapist. He had lost complete control of bowel and bladder. On March 16th, he was rushed to the hospital because he was no longer able to lift his legs. His right arm had also started becoming more difficult to control.

Joe was in the hospital for 4 weeks. He was then in a rehabilitation facility for 3 weeks.

During this time, he found out that he had a stroke. They also found a lesion on the right side of his brain. Joe was also diagnosed with transverse myelitis, which is an infection that causes inflammation in and around the spinal cord. This happens to about 1 in 6,000,000 individuals. There is no known cause. Some individuals will recover fully; 75% of people do not.

During this time, Joe has racked up a lot of medical bills. We have also to purchase a lot of medical equipment. He will now use a wheelchair 100% of the time to get around. This means we now need a ramp. Lumber, labor, medical, prescription, and ambulance bills have started piling up. We have also had to purchase quite a few items to make it where he was able to come home.

During this time, I have also been unable to work. Joe has to have someone with him 90-95% of the time. I will not be able to go back to work until he is able to care for himself for at least 8 hours at a time. This may never happen. We are asking for any help that anyone may be willing to give. Any amount, nothing is too small. We want to thank you in advance.

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Thank you,

The Lavall and Osborne Family