Let me introduce you to my younger brother Todd - a 60-year-old who has been developmentally disabled and autistic from birth. His passion in the world is to be outside and, to this day, still has a love of the wind in the trees. He likes nothing better than to have a tree branch to hold and listening to the wind.

Todd had two significant incidents back-to-back this past year. In September he broke his hip. After surgery he went to a local rehabilitation facility. Todd has always been severely fearful of loud noises, especially fire alarms and fireworks. In October the facility had a fire drill, but no one was placed with Todd during the drill, and the family was not notified in advance of the drill. When the fire alarm and lights went off in Todd’s room, he panicked and attempted to run for the door. Unfortunately, Todd was not yet able to walk, let alone run. He fell next to his bed, shattering his femur into 5 pieces. Due the severity of his injury he was life-flighted to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, a two-hour drive from Lewiston. To help during this difficult time, our sister flew out from Virginia to be with us. After this second surgery, Todd returned to the original facility but was required to spend 3 months in bed before he could begin therapy again. He is moved to his wheelchair by mechanical lifts. Because he is primarily non-verbal, he is not able to fully understand the necessity for not standing on his leg or understand that he is not capable of standing without falling.

In November Medicaid notified me that they would no longer be paying for Todd’s healthcare at the facility as he had reached the 100 days maximum. If Todd had been able to move to a long-term skilled nursing facility, Medicaid would take over the payments. Unfortunately, no skilled nursing facility in our area is willing to take Todd due to his need for round the clock care. And so, he is still at the original rehabilitation facility which costs $12,000 a month.

Shortly after returning from Coeur d’Alene, we noticed that Todd was trying to get up out of bed by himself. So, it became necessary to have someone next to him 24 hours a day to ensure that he did not stand on his broken leg before the 3 months of healing was up. The facility does not provide employees for this, and his insurance (a combination of Medicare and Medicaid) does not cover this. My sister and I cover the day shift, and any uncovered shifts, and other paid employees come in for the overnight and early morning shifts. We must cover this expense ourselves.

I am writing this from Todd’s room at the facility in the end of March where he has just been cleared to begin therapy and learn to walk again. Todd has patiently been in bed for 5 months but will need 4 to 6 weeks of therapy before he can return to his group home of the last 35 years. We only want for Todd to be able to walk in his back yard again and enjoy the outdoors.

We are asking for assistance as Todd has no finances beyond his social security that pays for his room and board. We are deeply grateful for any support offered, no matter how small. All funds will go toward Todd’s health care and recovery.