Spinal Surgery for a Single Father
Donation protected
Howdy Any and All Who Visit Here,
My name is Kimberly, and I have a very special co-worker (we'll call her Dee) who is going through an incredibly rough time right now, both emotionally and financially. While I can't help her much emotionally, other than to just offer a supportive ear, I am hoping to be able to help her family financially, and I am hoping that some of you will help me, too.
Here is D's family's story (or at least the last few years of it):
History: Dee has two children, Daniel and Kelly, and Daniel is a single father and has two children of his own, Landon & Cameron.
For a year Daniel was a single father. He got Landon and Cameron to daycare and school on time every day and he picked them up every day after work.
Daniel, Cameron and Landon all moved to a tiny town in rural Texas to live with Daniel's mother (my co-worker, Dee) while they saved up money to get a place of their own. They fell in love with the small town and made a lot of friends. Daniel drives an hour and a half to work every day and an hour and a half home. Unfortunately, because Daniel is the sole breadwinner in his little family, which is no easy task, they essentially live from paycheck to paycheck.
Current Situation: A few months ago, Daniel began noticing some pain and numbness in his back and legs. It came and went so he mostly ignored it, until it became so unbearable that he began having to miss work and can now barely walk. A few weeks ago, when his pain began getting really bad. He woke up one morning and could not even walk. He had to be taken to the Emergency Room where the Doctor diagnosed him with having a herniated disc.
He would like to move the kids to a more stable environment that is closer to his work, but he does not have the money to make the move. That problem is, unfortunately, secondary to his bigger problem, which is where I need your help.
Daniel was finally able to see a doctor about his back. As it turns out he has an issue with a disc in his lumbar spine, which needs immediate surgery. Daniel does not have insurance because he could not afford it on a single income supporting two kids.
I don't know the exact cost of everything yet, but Dee has told me that the surgery center alone will be charging $16,000 just to use the space for the surgery. That does not include the cost of the anesthesiologist, the radiologist or the surgeon. It also does not include any physical or occupational therapy that will need to happen during recovery. The doctor told Daniel that he could expect to be out of work for a month or two after surgery. Daniel has already missed two weeks of work.
Dee is distraught. Her son has lost his girlfriend and caregiver to his children and is also unable to work because of the pain and numbness in his legs and back. He cannot afford surgery, and he can barely move/walk, and he cannot work.
In addition to the issues with her son, Dee's husband recently found a tumor (benign- thank God!) on his adrenal gland that is affecting his body's ability to maintain necessary Potassium levels. Additionally, Dee has been experiencing vertigo and recently found that the balance organs in one of her ears is not working properly.
What I (They) Need from You: I would like to help Dee's son pay for his spinal surgery. Fortunately, I found out from Dee, that through the surgery center's assistance program, they MAY qualify for up to a 75% discount on the procedure. At this point, no one knows whether this discount would apply to just the use of the surgery center (the $16k) or whether it would also apply to the surgeon, anesthesiologist and/or radiologist. But I will keep you all updated as I find out more information.
I don't expect a lot from this gofundme for several reasons:
1. SO many people ask for many on here, and sometimes for really stupid reasons.
2. I'm sure potential donors are jaded because so many gofundmes have turned out to be fake or the recipients are not giving the money to the intended beneficiaries.
However, I have to try something. I can't do nothing!
As I have never done a gofundme before, I'm really not sure what to expect, but I feel like I have to try something for Dee. As I said before, she is a very special co-worker to me. She reminds me a lot of my mom who passed away from pancreatic cancer five years ago, and it's been very nice to have a maternal figure back in my life. My heart breaks for Dee and her family, as she is carrying the weight of all of their problems on her shoulders. While I can't help her with the stress or worry over the outcomes of the situations she is facing, I do have a chance to help her family financially, so I would like to do so.
I am donating the first $100 to this gofundme, and I vow to match dollar for dollar every contribution up to $2,000. At this point, I'm not sure how to provide documentation to you all that I have done this, but I am open to suggestions about how I can demonstrate my commitment to helping Dee.
I am also happy to provide updates on Dee and her family as I receive them. Perhaps at some point Dee will allow me to post a picture of them, but for now, I would like to protect their privacy. I am also starting this gofundme anonymously as I know if I told Dee about it, she would tell me not to ask strangers for money on her behalf.
I will also update the monetary goal of this gofundme as I hear of the total cost raising/falling. Right now it is set at $16,000 because that is the only number I have to go off of.
In the (unlikely) event that this gofundme raises a gazillion more dollars than needed by Daniel's medical bills, any extra will be donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities and St. Jude's.
If anyone has any specific questions about this family's situation that I can answer without violating their privacy, I am happy to do so.
Also, if anyone with more gofundme experience has any suggestions about how I can get the word out more to increase the possibility of donations or increase the apparent legitimacy of this page, I am open to suggestions. Fundraising is definitely NOT my forte, but I do believe in transparency and will do everything I can to ensure to donors that this money is truly going to a family in need.
My name is Kimberly, and I have a very special co-worker (we'll call her Dee) who is going through an incredibly rough time right now, both emotionally and financially. While I can't help her much emotionally, other than to just offer a supportive ear, I am hoping to be able to help her family financially, and I am hoping that some of you will help me, too.
Here is D's family's story (or at least the last few years of it):
History: Dee has two children, Daniel and Kelly, and Daniel is a single father and has two children of his own, Landon & Cameron.
For a year Daniel was a single father. He got Landon and Cameron to daycare and school on time every day and he picked them up every day after work.
Daniel, Cameron and Landon all moved to a tiny town in rural Texas to live with Daniel's mother (my co-worker, Dee) while they saved up money to get a place of their own. They fell in love with the small town and made a lot of friends. Daniel drives an hour and a half to work every day and an hour and a half home. Unfortunately, because Daniel is the sole breadwinner in his little family, which is no easy task, they essentially live from paycheck to paycheck.
Current Situation: A few months ago, Daniel began noticing some pain and numbness in his back and legs. It came and went so he mostly ignored it, until it became so unbearable that he began having to miss work and can now barely walk. A few weeks ago, when his pain began getting really bad. He woke up one morning and could not even walk. He had to be taken to the Emergency Room where the Doctor diagnosed him with having a herniated disc.
He would like to move the kids to a more stable environment that is closer to his work, but he does not have the money to make the move. That problem is, unfortunately, secondary to his bigger problem, which is where I need your help.
Daniel was finally able to see a doctor about his back. As it turns out he has an issue with a disc in his lumbar spine, which needs immediate surgery. Daniel does not have insurance because he could not afford it on a single income supporting two kids.
I don't know the exact cost of everything yet, but Dee has told me that the surgery center alone will be charging $16,000 just to use the space for the surgery. That does not include the cost of the anesthesiologist, the radiologist or the surgeon. It also does not include any physical or occupational therapy that will need to happen during recovery. The doctor told Daniel that he could expect to be out of work for a month or two after surgery. Daniel has already missed two weeks of work.
Dee is distraught. Her son has lost his girlfriend and caregiver to his children and is also unable to work because of the pain and numbness in his legs and back. He cannot afford surgery, and he can barely move/walk, and he cannot work.
In addition to the issues with her son, Dee's husband recently found a tumor (benign- thank God!) on his adrenal gland that is affecting his body's ability to maintain necessary Potassium levels. Additionally, Dee has been experiencing vertigo and recently found that the balance organs in one of her ears is not working properly.
What I (They) Need from You: I would like to help Dee's son pay for his spinal surgery. Fortunately, I found out from Dee, that through the surgery center's assistance program, they MAY qualify for up to a 75% discount on the procedure. At this point, no one knows whether this discount would apply to just the use of the surgery center (the $16k) or whether it would also apply to the surgeon, anesthesiologist and/or radiologist. But I will keep you all updated as I find out more information.
I don't expect a lot from this gofundme for several reasons:
1. SO many people ask for many on here, and sometimes for really stupid reasons.
2. I'm sure potential donors are jaded because so many gofundmes have turned out to be fake or the recipients are not giving the money to the intended beneficiaries.
However, I have to try something. I can't do nothing!
As I have never done a gofundme before, I'm really not sure what to expect, but I feel like I have to try something for Dee. As I said before, she is a very special co-worker to me. She reminds me a lot of my mom who passed away from pancreatic cancer five years ago, and it's been very nice to have a maternal figure back in my life. My heart breaks for Dee and her family, as she is carrying the weight of all of their problems on her shoulders. While I can't help her with the stress or worry over the outcomes of the situations she is facing, I do have a chance to help her family financially, so I would like to do so.
I am donating the first $100 to this gofundme, and I vow to match dollar for dollar every contribution up to $2,000. At this point, I'm not sure how to provide documentation to you all that I have done this, but I am open to suggestions about how I can demonstrate my commitment to helping Dee.
I am also happy to provide updates on Dee and her family as I receive them. Perhaps at some point Dee will allow me to post a picture of them, but for now, I would like to protect their privacy. I am also starting this gofundme anonymously as I know if I told Dee about it, she would tell me not to ask strangers for money on her behalf.
I will also update the monetary goal of this gofundme as I hear of the total cost raising/falling. Right now it is set at $16,000 because that is the only number I have to go off of.
In the (unlikely) event that this gofundme raises a gazillion more dollars than needed by Daniel's medical bills, any extra will be donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities and St. Jude's.
If anyone has any specific questions about this family's situation that I can answer without violating their privacy, I am happy to do so.
Also, if anyone with more gofundme experience has any suggestions about how I can get the word out more to increase the possibility of donations or increase the apparent legitimacy of this page, I am open to suggestions. Fundraising is definitely NOT my forte, but I do believe in transparency and will do everything I can to ensure to donors that this money is truly going to a family in need.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kimberly Grubb
Organizer
Saint Jo, TX
Doren Vincent
Beneficiary
