Phil’s Catastrophic Medical Bills
Donation protected
We are all just one catastrophic illness away from financial ruin. I have come to this dramatic conclusion after watching my brother, Phil Simonds, struggle for the past three months to stay alive and viable, while his wife Lisa struggles to pay their regular daily/monthly bills as well as the massive ensuing medical bills.
As an ICU nurse for 35+ years, Phil spent most of his time helping others, supporting three children, and financially/medically supporting his elderly mother and older brother Gordon, after each suffered a stroke. Anyone who knows Phil would tell you that he is just the kindest human on the face of the earth and would literally give a stranger the shirt off his back!
Phil had continued to work when most nurses have long retired, as he still had two children in college and his wife had been laid off from her job in June and was not able to find another. Lisa's elderly mother also lives with them.
On November 16, 2016, writhing in pain, unable to move, and incoherent, Phil was rushed by ambulance to the emergency room at Concord (NH) Hospital.
The ER admitted Phil initially for kidney failure, but he was subsequently diagnosed with sepsis, a massive group B strep infection. Phil also developed A-fib and difficulty breathing and became delirious from a combination of the infection and the level of pain medication necessary to keep him even close to being comfortable.
The doctors were not hopeful that he would survive. Phil was operated on four separate times in 7 weeks in order to remove the infection from his legs and each time he had to be sedated, the medications contributed to his continued delirium.
Finally, in the eighth week of his hospitalization, we began to see a positive change in his health, mental state and in his demeanor. He began to eat again, having lost close to 25 lbs.! The infection was finally going away and they were able to reduce the amount of necessary pain medication. His delirium began to subside, his health and mental state changed from day to day. It was also during these weeks that we noticed that his right hand was curling inward and we had to place splints on his hands at night to keep his fingers straight, which unfortunately caused him continued pain.
It was so difficult to know how to make Phil comfortable during that time because he could not really communicate with us. One of the few things that helped his anxiety was playing classical music for him. Phil had been a musical child prodigy growing up in Maine in the 1950's and was a pianist playing with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops when he was just 14. We are hopeful that the cause of his right hand and finger pain will be identified and treatable so that Phil can someday return to playing the piano.
After two months of hospitalization, Phil eventually came out of his delirium and was able to begin to participate in his recovery. It was recommended he continue his recovery at the Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital in Haverhill, Massachusetts. This is where he will be recuperating for the next 4-8 weeks.
Phil was between jobs, just about to start working once again, when he came down with all these medical complications. He was not yet insured by his new employer. While he now has a supplemental plan in place (as of January) as well as basic Medicare coverage, the vast majority of the medical bills will not be covered.
Phil and Lisa have gone through all of their savings. While Lisa has just secured a new full time position, it is two hours from their home and she will have to live there Monday-Friday, adding to their expenses. We are hiring a part time aide to be at Whittier with Phil a few days a week when family cannot be there. Phil will also need help from an aide once he is released to his home in the coming weeks.
Phil would never ask for a dime from anyone and still thinks that he can return to work to pay off these bills, but the likelihood of his returning to work again is minimal. Of anyone I have ever known in this life, Phil is so deserving of the kindness of strangers in order to help him to continue to fight for his recovery.
Please help Phil and Lisa pay down their horrendous medical bills and have some level of financial peace of mind in their future until they can get back on their feet.
Whatever amount you can spare in a donation to Phil and Lisa would be so greatly appreciated. Your generosity will never, ever be forgotten!
Naomi Simonds Weiner
As an ICU nurse for 35+ years, Phil spent most of his time helping others, supporting three children, and financially/medically supporting his elderly mother and older brother Gordon, after each suffered a stroke. Anyone who knows Phil would tell you that he is just the kindest human on the face of the earth and would literally give a stranger the shirt off his back!
Phil had continued to work when most nurses have long retired, as he still had two children in college and his wife had been laid off from her job in June and was not able to find another. Lisa's elderly mother also lives with them.
On November 16, 2016, writhing in pain, unable to move, and incoherent, Phil was rushed by ambulance to the emergency room at Concord (NH) Hospital.
The ER admitted Phil initially for kidney failure, but he was subsequently diagnosed with sepsis, a massive group B strep infection. Phil also developed A-fib and difficulty breathing and became delirious from a combination of the infection and the level of pain medication necessary to keep him even close to being comfortable.
The doctors were not hopeful that he would survive. Phil was operated on four separate times in 7 weeks in order to remove the infection from his legs and each time he had to be sedated, the medications contributed to his continued delirium.
Finally, in the eighth week of his hospitalization, we began to see a positive change in his health, mental state and in his demeanor. He began to eat again, having lost close to 25 lbs.! The infection was finally going away and they were able to reduce the amount of necessary pain medication. His delirium began to subside, his health and mental state changed from day to day. It was also during these weeks that we noticed that his right hand was curling inward and we had to place splints on his hands at night to keep his fingers straight, which unfortunately caused him continued pain.
It was so difficult to know how to make Phil comfortable during that time because he could not really communicate with us. One of the few things that helped his anxiety was playing classical music for him. Phil had been a musical child prodigy growing up in Maine in the 1950's and was a pianist playing with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops when he was just 14. We are hopeful that the cause of his right hand and finger pain will be identified and treatable so that Phil can someday return to playing the piano.
After two months of hospitalization, Phil eventually came out of his delirium and was able to begin to participate in his recovery. It was recommended he continue his recovery at the Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital in Haverhill, Massachusetts. This is where he will be recuperating for the next 4-8 weeks.
Phil was between jobs, just about to start working once again, when he came down with all these medical complications. He was not yet insured by his new employer. While he now has a supplemental plan in place (as of January) as well as basic Medicare coverage, the vast majority of the medical bills will not be covered.
Phil and Lisa have gone through all of their savings. While Lisa has just secured a new full time position, it is two hours from their home and she will have to live there Monday-Friday, adding to their expenses. We are hiring a part time aide to be at Whittier with Phil a few days a week when family cannot be there. Phil will also need help from an aide once he is released to his home in the coming weeks.
Phil would never ask for a dime from anyone and still thinks that he can return to work to pay off these bills, but the likelihood of his returning to work again is minimal. Of anyone I have ever known in this life, Phil is so deserving of the kindness of strangers in order to help him to continue to fight for his recovery.
Please help Phil and Lisa pay down their horrendous medical bills and have some level of financial peace of mind in their future until they can get back on their feet.
Whatever amount you can spare in a donation to Phil and Lisa would be so greatly appreciated. Your generosity will never, ever be forgotten!
Naomi Simonds Weiner
Organizer and beneficiary
Merrill Loechner
Organizer
Bow, NH
Lisa Maxwell
Beneficiary