Brother Gilbert Charbonnet fund

In the summer of 2016, from time to time Gilly began having trouble tying his shoes and buttoning his shirt.  He happened to mention this to his priest who became concerned and told Gilly he should see a doctor.  It took another year before he could find a doctor to diagnose him.  In the meantime, some may have noticed that Gilly was doing some things backwards and getting lost at times.  This was not the Gilly Charbonnet, Key Grip, we all know and love!  As it turns out, Gilly was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia “LBD”.  There is no way to describe how horribly this disease attacks and destroys a person! For more information about LBD, visit lbda.org.  While Gilly’s heart remains the loving and generous friend we all know, his motor and perception skills are all but gone, and now his personality and memory are failing. In fact, for quite a while, Gilly had lost his personal care skills and it is only by the constant care and love of his wife, Rhonda (“aka Church Lady”), that when people saw Gilly, they had no idea what was really happening to him.  Her thought has been all along, “Dignity, Safety, Comfort, and Joy, all with love”.  But this journey has taken its toll on both Rhonda and on their finances.  Gilly is currently at the point where he can no longer be left alone and gets so agitated at times that Rhonda can’t even fix him a meal.  She has a caretaker a few hours every Thursday so she can run errands but is coming to a point where she needs more assistance to ensure Gilly receives the loving care he-like all of us-deserve.  Any gifts received will be used to provide much needed additional care and help to meet his medical costs.  

Local 478 has graciously motioned and approved a donation match of $5000. 

Thank you for your kindness and generosity.