Hello everyone and thank you for taking the time to read our story.  The purpose of this campaign is so that a very good man who has been in hospital for the past 4 months can go home to be with his wife, his grandchildren and his beloved pets.  In order for this to happen, certain items are required to assist him in his daily activities such as bathing, dressing and  mobility.

The cost of this equipment is not covered by  insurance and is very expensive . Especially for a retired couple living on a fixed income.

So, let me introduce you Karl and tell his story. Karl (my brother) has not been well for many years. He retired early due to his issues with pain and lack of muscle strength.  For years the doctors were stumped on what the problem was. He was given numerous possible diagnoses but never a definitive  answer, until  about 10 years ago when a neuro-muscular specialist did a muscle biopsy.  After many years, he finally had a definitive diagnosis; Inclusion Body Myositis. 

Over the years, Karl's muscles have atrophied. He has had numerous falls and has needed to call for emergency help due to the fact that his wife, Jen, has her own medical issues. Jen is not able to help Karl up from a sitting position, let alone up from the floor. She had been his sole caregiver for 20 years until the Community Care Access Centre stepped in to allow him some at home help for personal care and respite for his wife.

In June of this year, Karl was admitted to the hospital with kidney stones. This kept him in bed for a couple of weeks during which time his potassium spiked.  This rise in potassium  attacked his muscles also ... so with all three combined ( IBM, kidney stones and potassium spike) he lost the ability to walk or even stand.  During his time in the hospital, the medical team  gave him a goal for a discharge date...to a rehabilitation facility. This would allow him to have access to physical and occupational therapy and have the nursing care that he needed at the time.

Since his entry into the rehab facility, he has been able to use the physio and occupational therapy to his advantage. He is now able to stand (with assistance), go to the bathroom (with assistance) and perform light, easy daily tasks (with assistance). This is a great improvement from  the time of his admittance to the hospital.

While he still needs a tremendous amount of help on a daily basis, the doctors believe that with certain equipment Karl can go home! This has been our goal since day one. While there were days when doubt crept in and the chance of Karl having to go live in a long term care facility were a real possibility, this has given our family (especially Karl) new hope.  To have his independence back would be a miracle for him and all who love and care for him .  The only thing in the way is the funding for the equipment he needs at home.

Anything....absolutely anything that you could give to help us purchase this medical equipment would be greatly appreciated. Your generosity will enable a man to rejoin his family, in his home where he can be a part of the daily lives of his wife, his grandchildren , his two dogs (Remy and Milo) and his parrot (Casey), all who miss him very much.  

The equipment required are a standing lift, a toilet lift, a medical bed as well as a walk-in or roll-in bath or shower that will need to replace their existing bathtub.

I have attached links to the sites of the companies that provide the equipment he needs. Please copy and paste into the address bar to see the different items that will make going home a possibility.

1.   www.liftseat.com
 
2,   http://www.arjohuntleigh.ca/ca/Page.asp?PageNumber=1030

Once again, thank you so much for reading our story.

Please know that anything you donate will help a man return to the best life he can live and to his family. 

With deepest gratitude,  The Windsor Family xo