Bill's Medical Fund
Donation protected
Early in the morning of Saturday, June 10th, my rommate and closest friend Bill Barbre returned home from another night shift at work, and laid down to watch a movie. About an hour later, he tried to get up to go to the store, and felt like half of his body had fallen asleep. He had difficulty moving his right arm and leg. He realized something serious was going on, and we rushed him to the hospital.
In the ER at North Suburban Medical Center, they found that his blood pressure was 233/132, and immediately began medicating him. They rushed him in for a CT scan, and within moments they discovered that he was having a stroke. They stabilized him, and he was incredibly fortunate that he got to the hospital before things became much worse, or lethal. But still, the stroke caused damage. This morning, June 11th, after an MRI, they determined exactly what happened.
Bill suffered an ischemic stroke on the left side of his brain, caused by a sudden severe blockage in an artery. The stroke left him with serious loss of motor skill in his right arm and almost total loss of use of his right hand. Though he has some control of his right leg, he is currently unable to put weight on it. He has some paralyzation on the right side of his face, and some slurring of his speech.
Bill is currently in the ICU, and will be there for at least 2-3 more days. He is facing weeks of intense physical therapy, as well as speech therapy, to get his body functioning right again. He has a lot of treatment and work ahead of him. But his spirits are high, his mind is as sharp and funny as ever, and he is looking forward with a strong, positive attitude.
Unfortunately, Bill was 2 weeks away at his job for qualifying for benefits, including health insurance and paid medical leave. Currently he has nothing to help him cover the massive expenses not only his emergency room, ICU stay, multiple CT scans and MRIs, and weeks of physical and speech therapy will cost, but nothing to fall back on while missing weeks of work, with no guarantee he will be able to return to the hard, physical work he was doing.
Those who know Bill know that he is not the kind of person to reach out to anyone for this kind of financial help. Just the opposite, in fact, Bill is the kind of man who is always there to lend a helping hand to anyone he meets. In fact, I imagine there isn’t a friend or acquaintance of his that hasn’t benefitted from his happy willingness to drop everything to help someone out. I’m sure we could all tell stories of Bill’s generosity and unselfishness with his time, energy, or wallet to help those in need. In my own experience, he has been there to help me and my family out more times than I could ever count. Everything from emotional support to rides to work to standing in last minute as a pall-bearer at my grandmother’s funeral. He is simply that kind of a good, kind man. A man who works hard, does everything he is supposed to do, drops everything to help a friend with anything needed, and never asks for or expects anything in return.
But now, Bill needs us. He needs our help the same way he has always given his. Not only is he facing overwhelming medical expenses, but even his normal day-to-day bills are going to be impossible to meet while he works to get himself healthy and functioning and back to where he was, just a few days ago.
Every little bit helps! I know that, together, we can raise this money to help him pay his upcoming bills and have something to put towards his medical expenses. If just the 1000 people we know on Facebook each gave $5.00, the cost of a trip to Starbucks, we’ll reach the goal. 500 people giving $10.00, the cost of a fast-food lunch, can make certain that Bill can focus on the only thing he needs to concern himself with right now- getting well.
Please, give what you can. Together, we have the opportunity to make the difference in the life of a good, kind man, who wouldn't hesitate to help any of us in the same way.
Thank you.
In the ER at North Suburban Medical Center, they found that his blood pressure was 233/132, and immediately began medicating him. They rushed him in for a CT scan, and within moments they discovered that he was having a stroke. They stabilized him, and he was incredibly fortunate that he got to the hospital before things became much worse, or lethal. But still, the stroke caused damage. This morning, June 11th, after an MRI, they determined exactly what happened.
Bill suffered an ischemic stroke on the left side of his brain, caused by a sudden severe blockage in an artery. The stroke left him with serious loss of motor skill in his right arm and almost total loss of use of his right hand. Though he has some control of his right leg, he is currently unable to put weight on it. He has some paralyzation on the right side of his face, and some slurring of his speech.
Bill is currently in the ICU, and will be there for at least 2-3 more days. He is facing weeks of intense physical therapy, as well as speech therapy, to get his body functioning right again. He has a lot of treatment and work ahead of him. But his spirits are high, his mind is as sharp and funny as ever, and he is looking forward with a strong, positive attitude.
Unfortunately, Bill was 2 weeks away at his job for qualifying for benefits, including health insurance and paid medical leave. Currently he has nothing to help him cover the massive expenses not only his emergency room, ICU stay, multiple CT scans and MRIs, and weeks of physical and speech therapy will cost, but nothing to fall back on while missing weeks of work, with no guarantee he will be able to return to the hard, physical work he was doing.
Those who know Bill know that he is not the kind of person to reach out to anyone for this kind of financial help. Just the opposite, in fact, Bill is the kind of man who is always there to lend a helping hand to anyone he meets. In fact, I imagine there isn’t a friend or acquaintance of his that hasn’t benefitted from his happy willingness to drop everything to help someone out. I’m sure we could all tell stories of Bill’s generosity and unselfishness with his time, energy, or wallet to help those in need. In my own experience, he has been there to help me and my family out more times than I could ever count. Everything from emotional support to rides to work to standing in last minute as a pall-bearer at my grandmother’s funeral. He is simply that kind of a good, kind man. A man who works hard, does everything he is supposed to do, drops everything to help a friend with anything needed, and never asks for or expects anything in return.
But now, Bill needs us. He needs our help the same way he has always given his. Not only is he facing overwhelming medical expenses, but even his normal day-to-day bills are going to be impossible to meet while he works to get himself healthy and functioning and back to where he was, just a few days ago.
Every little bit helps! I know that, together, we can raise this money to help him pay his upcoming bills and have something to put towards his medical expenses. If just the 1000 people we know on Facebook each gave $5.00, the cost of a trip to Starbucks, we’ll reach the goal. 500 people giving $10.00, the cost of a fast-food lunch, can make certain that Bill can focus on the only thing he needs to concern himself with right now- getting well.
Please, give what you can. Together, we have the opportunity to make the difference in the life of a good, kind man, who wouldn't hesitate to help any of us in the same way.
Thank you.
Organizer
Scott Merrifield
Organizer
Arvada, CO
