Help Dan Access Pain-Relieving Therapies

Hi friends!

This is my dad, Dan. For the past several years, he has been suffering from neuropathy, first in his feet, but gradually spreading up his legs.

For those of you who don’t know, neuropathy is when nerve damage (specifically in the extremities) creates a numbness, weakness, and pins-and-needles feeling in the affected area. Basically, it’s the feeling of your foot being asleep all the time, but worse.

In my dad’s case, this has become extremely painful. He cannot work, drive, or even sleep without feeling tremendous discomfort and pain. As he has just turned 60, this is becoming an increasing threat to his health and well-being. He has not had a full night’s rest in several years, and no treatment he has tried has helped (and there have been several). He has said multiple times that while he doesn’t want to, if he could get relief from amputating his legs, he would. Obviously, that is a very last resort.

For many neuropathy patients, their muscles gradually decline, and they become wheelchair-bound or, at the very least, lose a lot of their mobility. My dad is the sole provider for our family. My mom has struggled with gastrointestinal diseases and complications and is trying to recover from a Covid-related flare-up. While she is on her way to starting a new job, this will not be enough to support both of them. My dad has been struggling to even get to work and get his work done, as he is now not only in pain but sleep-deprived as well. He works as a consultant and does not have a pension, thus cannot retire anytime soon.

Dan has been an active member of the community and his church, the Orchard in Arlington Heights. He has served many years in the youth ministry and is currently serving as security for the church’s Awana program, a weekly program for children to play games, meet with friends and leaders, and learn about God. He also coached Hersey boys’ feeder basketball before I was born, and when I played, he coached the girls’ feeder teams and our local club team as well. He is a regular donor to the church and has done a lot of work in the past few years to better himself. I so badly wish I could help him more, as he is so deserving.

So, that brings us here. Our insurance will not cover the therapies that he needs (electrical nerve stimulation therapy, low-level light LED red light therapy, vibration therapy, and specialized equipment rental for at-home exercise) and it is upwards of $8,000 out of pocket. Unfortunately, we are not in a financial position right now to afford that, and my dad desperately needs some relief, or, at least, hope.

Anything you could contribute to his medical therapies is incredibly appreciated. Life has not been kind to him lately, and he really needs help right now. Please consider donating and sharing this page! Thank you so much.

Janine