Help Chris Nerison Get Back on his Feet Again
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Please consider donating to help Chris and his family with their financial needs as he continues to recover following an unexpected accident this summer. His healing journey, as you will read below, will be long and stressful, so any financial support and positive thoughts and prayers for strength that you are able to give them during this difficult time would be greatly appreciated.
On Saturday, June 22nd, Chris was at home cleaning out gutters and putting up gutter guards with his brother-in-law Darrin. They were on the last 10 feet of the house, and 10 minutes from checking this large project off the list, when Chris's ladder slipped out from under him! Chris fell 10 feet straight down to the blacktop driveway. Chris was rushed to Regions Hospital by ambulance, where he was met by a team of 20 doctors and nurses. They confirmed that he had multiple broken bones in his hip, pelvis, and arm. Luckily, he had no internal bleeding, head or spine injuries. Whew! Once his blood pressure and vital signs stabilized, he was transferred to the trauma wing, where he was highly sedated. The family waited and watched for the next 36 hours as the medical staff monitored his vitals and placed a rod/pulley system through his left leg to relieve weight and pressure on his injury. They continued to poke, prick and prep him for surgery. (These are all medical terms, I’m sure of it!)
Monday, June 24th
Surgery day! It took 5 hours of intense surgery to fix Chris's injuries. The surgeon stated that all went well and informed the family that he placed one large plate and multiple screws/pins to reconstruct Chris's hip/pelvis. The actual bone that was broken, or more like shattered, in multiple areas from impact is called the Acetabulum. The surgeon explained that this is rare and much more complicated than a typical hip break. The fractures to the pelvis would be stabilized by the plate and would heal with time and limited mobility. Lastly, he broke his left elbow! The elbow break impacts him greatly, as it only allows him weight bearing and balancing support with his right leg and arm. The surgeon spoke gently as he stated this leaves Chris with very limited movement. He will be wheelchair bound for 8-12 weeks and essentially in about three months, if all goes well, Chris will then begin therapy to learn how to walk again.
Friday, June 28th
Chris was transferred to a Transitional Care Center in Stillwater via another ambulance ride. No sirens or lights needed this time! It was during this two week stay where he started to learn how to become independent again. To give you a full scope of his injuries, he first needed to start with learning how to sit up on his own. Over the course of the next two weeks, he got stronger and his body started to heal from the scrapes, bumps, and bruises from the fall. After multiple daily therapy sessions, he started learning how to move his body, maneuver his legs, and stand and pivot his feet! He continued learning how simple, everyday tasks like brushing his teeth, washing his face, and even using the bathroom were now big accomplishments! It's an emotional, mental, and physical roller coaster, but he is strong minded and continues on.
At Home
Chris's wife, Laura, and daughter, Taylor, prepared their home for Chris's new needs. With the help of their great family, a ramp was built going into the house, a hospital bed was setup, a revamp of the bathroom was completed and a lot of furniture needed to be moved for Chris's safety and comfort for the days and months ahead.
Saturday, July 13th
Chris came home!! ❤ Laura stated, "We are relieved and scared!" "No more 24 hour care, emergency buttons to push, med checks, or nurses on standby. I CAN DO THIS!"
The first week was A LOT. They all needed to learn when and how to help Chris. They learned how to aid in daily exercise therapy, bathe him, dress him, and even how to have meals TOGETHER! They have met a lot of new people, including Chris's pharmacist, home nurse, occupational therapist and physical therapist. Laura and Taylor also have a very new and different perspective on things, such as what time it is, when the next meds are due, when did he eat last, does he need ice packs and does he have fresh water. My favorite one is whether or not he pooped that day!?!?
Looking Ahead
After talking with Laura, they are doing their best, but having a difficult time just barely getting through things day by day. The grim reality is that they are coming into the end of July and the last paycheck was deposited, vacation hours cashed and as of August 1st, their health insurance moves to COBRA at some astronomical rates. So, in Laura's “downtime”, she is working diligently to contact and look into deferred payment options, or discounts, on utilities, insurance, mortgage payments, and even contacting the county. They are having a difficult time getting assistance with their situation. Chris will be off of work without any pay options for at least six months and they are running out of ideas.
TODAY. This is where you can help. I know this family well and if you do too, then you know that they show up, help, donate, work hard, and STAND UP. I’m hoping together, we can lift this family up, relieve some of the financial burden of daily bills, food, gas, medicine, and help aid in the surmounting medical costs that have and will continue to incur. Thank you in advance for your help, kind words, prayers and please SHARE this page.
On Saturday, June 22nd, Chris was at home cleaning out gutters and putting up gutter guards with his brother-in-law Darrin. They were on the last 10 feet of the house, and 10 minutes from checking this large project off the list, when Chris's ladder slipped out from under him! Chris fell 10 feet straight down to the blacktop driveway. Chris was rushed to Regions Hospital by ambulance, where he was met by a team of 20 doctors and nurses. They confirmed that he had multiple broken bones in his hip, pelvis, and arm. Luckily, he had no internal bleeding, head or spine injuries. Whew! Once his blood pressure and vital signs stabilized, he was transferred to the trauma wing, where he was highly sedated. The family waited and watched for the next 36 hours as the medical staff monitored his vitals and placed a rod/pulley system through his left leg to relieve weight and pressure on his injury. They continued to poke, prick and prep him for surgery. (These are all medical terms, I’m sure of it!)
Monday, June 24th
Surgery day! It took 5 hours of intense surgery to fix Chris's injuries. The surgeon stated that all went well and informed the family that he placed one large plate and multiple screws/pins to reconstruct Chris's hip/pelvis. The actual bone that was broken, or more like shattered, in multiple areas from impact is called the Acetabulum. The surgeon explained that this is rare and much more complicated than a typical hip break. The fractures to the pelvis would be stabilized by the plate and would heal with time and limited mobility. Lastly, he broke his left elbow! The elbow break impacts him greatly, as it only allows him weight bearing and balancing support with his right leg and arm. The surgeon spoke gently as he stated this leaves Chris with very limited movement. He will be wheelchair bound for 8-12 weeks and essentially in about three months, if all goes well, Chris will then begin therapy to learn how to walk again.
Friday, June 28th
Chris was transferred to a Transitional Care Center in Stillwater via another ambulance ride. No sirens or lights needed this time! It was during this two week stay where he started to learn how to become independent again. To give you a full scope of his injuries, he first needed to start with learning how to sit up on his own. Over the course of the next two weeks, he got stronger and his body started to heal from the scrapes, bumps, and bruises from the fall. After multiple daily therapy sessions, he started learning how to move his body, maneuver his legs, and stand and pivot his feet! He continued learning how simple, everyday tasks like brushing his teeth, washing his face, and even using the bathroom were now big accomplishments! It's an emotional, mental, and physical roller coaster, but he is strong minded and continues on.
At Home
Chris's wife, Laura, and daughter, Taylor, prepared their home for Chris's new needs. With the help of their great family, a ramp was built going into the house, a hospital bed was setup, a revamp of the bathroom was completed and a lot of furniture needed to be moved for Chris's safety and comfort for the days and months ahead.
Saturday, July 13th
Chris came home!! ❤ Laura stated, "We are relieved and scared!" "No more 24 hour care, emergency buttons to push, med checks, or nurses on standby. I CAN DO THIS!"
The first week was A LOT. They all needed to learn when and how to help Chris. They learned how to aid in daily exercise therapy, bathe him, dress him, and even how to have meals TOGETHER! They have met a lot of new people, including Chris's pharmacist, home nurse, occupational therapist and physical therapist. Laura and Taylor also have a very new and different perspective on things, such as what time it is, when the next meds are due, when did he eat last, does he need ice packs and does he have fresh water. My favorite one is whether or not he pooped that day!?!?
Looking Ahead
After talking with Laura, they are doing their best, but having a difficult time just barely getting through things day by day. The grim reality is that they are coming into the end of July and the last paycheck was deposited, vacation hours cashed and as of August 1st, their health insurance moves to COBRA at some astronomical rates. So, in Laura's “downtime”, she is working diligently to contact and look into deferred payment options, or discounts, on utilities, insurance, mortgage payments, and even contacting the county. They are having a difficult time getting assistance with their situation. Chris will be off of work without any pay options for at least six months and they are running out of ideas.
TODAY. This is where you can help. I know this family well and if you do too, then you know that they show up, help, donate, work hard, and STAND UP. I’m hoping together, we can lift this family up, relieve some of the financial burden of daily bills, food, gas, medicine, and help aid in the surmounting medical costs that have and will continue to incur. Thank you in advance for your help, kind words, prayers and please SHARE this page.
Fundraising team: Stand Up for Chris (2)
Shelly Wood MacMillan
Organizer
Raised $2,200 from 12 donations
Stillwater, MN
Laura Nerison
Team member
Raised $810 from 8 donations
This team raised $5,070 from 61 other donations.
