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Help Bring Papa Coop Home!

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If you know Kristen or me even remotely well, you know we are pretty private people. Very rarely do we try to mix others up in our personal, emotional, and/or financial business. Kristen's dad, Paul (or Knuckles, or Coop as you may probably call him) is very similar. He's a former truck driver. Private. Proud. Independent. His handlebar mustache speaks volumes if you ask me (and I asked him to marry his daughter). But he's human - and if he found out that this appeal existed, he would probably either sock me in the mouth or break down and cry.

As you have probably heard by now, Coop has been in and out of hospital and rehab centers for the better part of the past 2 1/2 years. In February of 2016 when Kristen was pregnant with Reid, Coop was diagnosed with an extraordinarily severe staph infection that nearly took his life. The infection compromised much of his immune system, his mobility, and only as of late, his spirit - which is largely understandable when you have seen two-plus cycles of the seasons exclusively from a hospital bed.

Over the months we have stood by Coop, as he endured procedure after procedure to try to eradicate the infection, some more successful than others. What has seemingly become a never-ending ordeal of hospital stays has taken its emotional toll, of course, but finally, it is starting to impact Coop financially. Earlier this week, we were were notified that Coop's insurance coverage would be running out shortly, leaving him to either pay the per diem rate at his current rehab ($700-plus per day!), or pay out of pocket for in-home care (which will certainly be equally as expensive).

With the exception of 6-months or so during last spring and summer, Reid has only known his grandfather in the four walls of a hospital room. As glamorous as the Beth Israel Hotel and the Spaulding Cambridge Inn are, they are certainly not places to experience the only memories of your grandfather. So, obviously, our hope is to make every effort possible to get Coop home and healthy, so that he can finally take Reid on that long-overdue trip to the Aquarium. But, it will not be easy, and it will be costly.

The infection centralized itself largely in Coop's left leg, as well as his back, and as a result, his ability to move around on his own is minimal at best. Having been confined to a hospital bed for so long has also left him with little to no upper body strength. While he may still think there's days behind the wheel of his Chrysler 300 still ahead of him, we remain cautiously optimistic of him even walking on his own again. For these reasons, in-home care is going to be crucial (whether or not Coop likes it) in his recovery. Coop has come so long to succumb to his recovery now and to not see that he receives proper care. He has our help...he just needs some extra coin in his wallet.

As we are now in the dog days of summer, we know that extra money is difficult to come by. But, we make this appeal nonetheless, in hopes that you can help the man Reid calls his Papa be able to take him on that trip to the Aquarium.

Much love,
Marcus, Kristen, Kathy, Christopher, Reid, & Chloe
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Donations 

  • Meghan Keohane
    • $40
    • 6 yrs
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Organizer

Marcus Pratt
Organizer
Leominster, MA

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