Keith Evans Medical Support Fund
Donation protected
CALLING ALL ANGELS.
Our beloved friend Keith Evans needs our help.
Any one who knows him has at least one Keith Evans memory that evokes a smile. Close your eyes and recall your special memory(ies) of Keith. Is your image of his classic brown Stetson? A silver feather or turquoise hat pin? Twinkling blue eyes that notice humor that not everyone sees? Beautifully crafted and burnished silver eagle feather earrings sparkling in the light? His upright, precise, short-stepping gait as he strode south on Paseo? Pressed blue jeans and shirt, always clean? Colorful neckerchief tucked inside his snappy vest? Classic old-school courtesy and manners? An infectious laugh? Perfect body control and precise leads in synch with the music that left his dance partners smiling and looking forward to the next dance? were you one of this dance partners? Equally precise reminders to dancers not respectful of the space occupied by others or of the customary counter-clockwise flow of movement on the dance floor?
Keith's silver smithing and his jewelry are world known.
Keith was a pioneer in the Northern New Mexico dance scene. Those ladies fortunate enough to have danced with him know he was the best.
Keith has suffered three strokes in the past 15 months,...after each episode, he has made a tangible measure of recovery, but has not returned to pre-stroke level. The overall trend has been one of decreasing dexterity, increasingly compromised word recall, halting speech and more pervasive confusion.
Keith has been unable to work except for minor jewelry repair since the first stoke occurred. Basic living expenses exceed his modest social security income.
Currently, Keith is two months behind on rent, lacks cash to buy groceries and keep current with his utility bills. The prospect of personally funding substantial additional expense for the physical and occupational therapy that promise to restore his manual, speech and cognitive dexterity, described below, is a no-go.
The campaign goal of $20,000 was picked with the intention of funding basic living expenses and the cost of that portion of physical, occupational and speech therapy not covered by Medicare until Keith is able to work productively again.
In the interest of full disclosure, a benefit concert and an auction of Keith's remaining inventory of unsold jewelry are being organized. The amount of income that will ensue from these events is unknown.
Fortunately, Medicare will cover almost all the costs of diagnosis and initial physical therapy.
Keith is currently not able to work, or shop for groceries and cook for himself. His expenses are being covered by the generosity of friends. This is a difficult, frustrating and embarrassing predicament for a man who has always carried his own weight, and paid his own way. Anyone who knows Keith will attest to his almost fierce independence and self sufficient dignity.
Never seriously ill, Keith hadn't been to a doctor in decades prior to his first stroke. He consequently had not registered for Medicare when he first became eligible. Post stroke, it took some months for Keith to get organized to enroll in Medicare, then even more months for his enrollment to become effective. Until his Medicare coverage became effective Keith could not afford the cost of basic medical care for his physical condition.
Medical testing and diagnosis are currently (Decemeber 13) in progress. Treatment plan, including a strategy for preventing additional strokes, will follow. Initial diagnosis is consistent with a series of strokes affecting the left side of Keith's brain. The physical therapy assessment conducted as part of the diagnostic process found that Keith has sufficient remaining sensation and dexterity in his compromised motor parts and cognitive processes to predict with high confidence that he can, with appropriate therapy and sufficient effort, regain functionality close or equal to his original manual, speech and cognitive dexterity.
We can help Keith get back on his feet, literally and figuratively. With luck we will see him back on the dance floor in time for the 2017 Christmas season.
You can support Keith's recovery by either contributing to the Keith Evans Medical Support Fund campaign through GoFundMe, participate in the auction of Keith's remaining jewelry inventory, attend the benefit concert being organized in Keith's name, or some combination of the three.
Notices posted on this page and in social media will announce timing and details of the auction and benefit concert.
All funds will be deposited until needed in a checking account bearing the name Keith Evans Medical Support Fund at the People's Bank of Taos.
Our beloved friend Keith Evans needs our help.
Any one who knows him has at least one Keith Evans memory that evokes a smile. Close your eyes and recall your special memory(ies) of Keith. Is your image of his classic brown Stetson? A silver feather or turquoise hat pin? Twinkling blue eyes that notice humor that not everyone sees? Beautifully crafted and burnished silver eagle feather earrings sparkling in the light? His upright, precise, short-stepping gait as he strode south on Paseo? Pressed blue jeans and shirt, always clean? Colorful neckerchief tucked inside his snappy vest? Classic old-school courtesy and manners? An infectious laugh? Perfect body control and precise leads in synch with the music that left his dance partners smiling and looking forward to the next dance? were you one of this dance partners? Equally precise reminders to dancers not respectful of the space occupied by others or of the customary counter-clockwise flow of movement on the dance floor?
Keith's silver smithing and his jewelry are world known.
Keith was a pioneer in the Northern New Mexico dance scene. Those ladies fortunate enough to have danced with him know he was the best.
Keith has suffered three strokes in the past 15 months,...after each episode, he has made a tangible measure of recovery, but has not returned to pre-stroke level. The overall trend has been one of decreasing dexterity, increasingly compromised word recall, halting speech and more pervasive confusion.
Keith has been unable to work except for minor jewelry repair since the first stoke occurred. Basic living expenses exceed his modest social security income.
Currently, Keith is two months behind on rent, lacks cash to buy groceries and keep current with his utility bills. The prospect of personally funding substantial additional expense for the physical and occupational therapy that promise to restore his manual, speech and cognitive dexterity, described below, is a no-go.
The campaign goal of $20,000 was picked with the intention of funding basic living expenses and the cost of that portion of physical, occupational and speech therapy not covered by Medicare until Keith is able to work productively again.
In the interest of full disclosure, a benefit concert and an auction of Keith's remaining inventory of unsold jewelry are being organized. The amount of income that will ensue from these events is unknown.
Fortunately, Medicare will cover almost all the costs of diagnosis and initial physical therapy.
Keith is currently not able to work, or shop for groceries and cook for himself. His expenses are being covered by the generosity of friends. This is a difficult, frustrating and embarrassing predicament for a man who has always carried his own weight, and paid his own way. Anyone who knows Keith will attest to his almost fierce independence and self sufficient dignity.
Never seriously ill, Keith hadn't been to a doctor in decades prior to his first stroke. He consequently had not registered for Medicare when he first became eligible. Post stroke, it took some months for Keith to get organized to enroll in Medicare, then even more months for his enrollment to become effective. Until his Medicare coverage became effective Keith could not afford the cost of basic medical care for his physical condition.
Medical testing and diagnosis are currently (Decemeber 13) in progress. Treatment plan, including a strategy for preventing additional strokes, will follow. Initial diagnosis is consistent with a series of strokes affecting the left side of Keith's brain. The physical therapy assessment conducted as part of the diagnostic process found that Keith has sufficient remaining sensation and dexterity in his compromised motor parts and cognitive processes to predict with high confidence that he can, with appropriate therapy and sufficient effort, regain functionality close or equal to his original manual, speech and cognitive dexterity.
We can help Keith get back on his feet, literally and figuratively. With luck we will see him back on the dance floor in time for the 2017 Christmas season.
You can support Keith's recovery by either contributing to the Keith Evans Medical Support Fund campaign through GoFundMe, participate in the auction of Keith's remaining jewelry inventory, attend the benefit concert being organized in Keith's name, or some combination of the three.
Notices posted on this page and in social media will announce timing and details of the auction and benefit concert.
All funds will be deposited until needed in a checking account bearing the name Keith Evans Medical Support Fund at the People's Bank of Taos.
Organizer
John Pruit
Organizer
Ranchos de Taos, NM