- J
- D
- I
Update:
6/30/22
It has been awhile since we updated, so we wanted to let you all know how DJ is doing. Thank you as always for all your prayers, love, support and well wishes. We appreciate you all!
The praise: DJ has finally started to gain some strength in his right arm. He is now able to pick up a ten pound weight, which is absolutely huge! He still only has gross motor movements in his upper limbs bilaterally for the most part, but has gotten really good at feeding himself with his fist and doing other small things with his right hand. If any of you remember last year around this time we had almost no movement in his arms at all!!! His left arm is still very weak, but we are holding out hope that the nerve surgery we had will eventually be successful on his left arm.
What this means: We are able to start working on some functional ADLs, woot woot!!! This is a miracle!!!
We are still settling into the "new to us" house, that we have now adapted to have an amazing wheelchair ramp and bathroom, etc. to meet DJ's needs. We have 48 inch hallways for his power chair and 36 inch doorways. It is a blessing beyond belief. Thank you to all of you who made this possible!
The prayer: Pain management remains an issue as we continue to deal with chronic UTIs and kidney stones, as well as the surgeries and sepsis that has gone along with it. We need lots of prayer for this to resolve.
Needs: We are still fighting with insurance to get lots of things covered, including DJ's power chair (we are still in a loaner), hospital bed (he needs one that will go up and down for transfer and care), fes bike, some visits, labs, supplies etc, etc. It is truly amazing the amount of push back we are coming up against with insurance and the amount of debt we are taking on. If you are able to help or know someone who has equipment, we still really could use it!! We also need help for daily things that are not covered such as briefs, meds, suppositories, wipes, wound care, and other supplies, etc. We couldn't do it without you!!
Original Post:
My son, Dale Ray Ludwig, Jr., is a 20-year old, extremely loved baby boy and is known lovingly to all of his friends and family as DJ. He is the 3rd oldest child in our family of 7 kiddos. He was the victim of a shooting on Friday, January 29, 2021 and has suffered a spinal cord injury (SCI). We have been told that he is neurologically presenting as a quadriplegic, and he is on a ventilator. We appreciate all of the prayers, love and care that everyone has shown. If you have the means to help financially during this difficult time, we would really appreciate it. Every little bit will help. Thank you so much for your care and consideration! If you cannot afford to donate, we ask that you would send your prayers, light a candle, and/or send loving thoughts his way. He needs our love and support desperately. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we have not even been able to go in to see our baby boy. If you could pray for our family as well, we would really appreciate it. Please see below for more information on our ask.
Current Immediate Need
We need to raise about 35k for in-home rehab equipment, 15-20k to make our downstairs livable for DJ (including ramps, entry/exit modifications, hallway and door modifications, washroom install/modifications as all of our bedrooms and bathrooms are on our 2nd story and already full of kiddos), and another 25-30k for a vehicle outfitted to transport a full body tilt chair. He is still presenting neurologically as a C3 injury so will need accommodations as such.
About DJ's Injury
The bullet passed through his arm, went through his chest, and is now located in his spinal cord at the T3 level. The bullet missed his heart, but has caused damage to his left lung, and the vessels and nerves in his arm were also damaged. He currently does not have any sensory or motor function below his level of injury and is being classified as a Grade A on the ASIA Impairment Scale. He is currently in critical condition in the trauma-ICU. They have decided not to remove the bullet at the hospital he is currently at stating that the literature supports leaving it in the spinal canal. There have been debates for decades on whether or not removal improves outcome with many doctors on either side of the fence. We have had further consults with outside providers that believe he may have added benefit from the bullet being removed. Some of the benefits of removal are preventing further damage from things such as bone fragments, migration, and toxicity due to the lead content of the bullet, as well as to try to reduce the risk of other things such as post traumatic syringomyelia (PTS). While there are also risks with removal (and with any surgery), they tend to be significantly less in the T-spine compared to the C-spine due to location. However, these must also be taken into account. If the bullet remains, it may exclude DJ from elective and experimental rehab therapies that are cutting edge in the treatment of spinal cord injury. We would really like him to have the option for removal, if he chooses to do so. However, this is not the current fundraising focus as there are more pressing current needs.
More About DJ's Financial Needs
There is a misconception, even in the medical community, of what is covered by insurance when it comes to spinal cord injuries. DJ's insurance should cover most of his current in-patient trauma based medical care which is primarily focused on getting him out of the hospital alive and in a tilt chair. However, insurance will not cover things that are necessary for DJ to stay safe and healthy such as a vehicle for transportation (we live in a rural area with no access to public transportation), home modifications, and/or any in-patient elective (or even some non-elective) or rehab programs in or out-of-state that have helped other people gain function, nor will it cover the expenses of access to spinal rehab and devices that may prove to be extremely beneficial to his care and improve his function both in the short-term and in the long-term and also improve his quality of life. Either way, he is facing a very long road ahead of him.
Messages from his family:
From DJ's Mom, Anna: This is a parent's worst nightmare. Due to COVID, we are not allowed in the hospital to able to see DJ and to care for him like every parent wants to. I cannot hold his hand, kiss his face or calm him down. We also cannot speak with the doctor's face to face, which has led to confusion and chaos. While I understand the necessity of these stipulations during the pandemic, it has been truly heartbreaking to know that he is lying there, not knowing what is happening, strapped to a hospital bed, being intubated, and not knowing what to expect and why he cannot feel his legs. I hope they find the people who did this and stop them from ever hurting someone like this again. They have taken away his ability to move anything below T3 and his left hand grip. He can only rely on his right hand at the time being. It is my hope to provide DJ with the ABSOLUTE best care and best chance at restoring as much function as possible. He is only 20 yrs. old and needs our help! This kid has a HUGE heart!!! I appreciate all of the prayers, love and care that everyone has shown. If you have the means to help financially during this difficult time, we would really appreciate it. Anything will help, as this is a pretty life-altering event. Thank you so much for your care and prayers. Please continue to send them our way!
From DJ's Eldest Brother, Tyler 23 yrs.: I just want him to have his best fighting chance. Anything you can do to help... we are hoping and praying for miracles.
From DJ's Sister, Bella, 14 yrs.: I want my brother to have the best care. If you can, please help him get care that may help him. I am worried about his life and how this will be for him. I think this would help him mentally and physically. Mentally is probably the worst for him.
From DJ's Youngest Sister Eva, 9 yrs.: I just want my brother to get better. I love him so much. He means so much to me. Please pray.
From DJ's Youngest brother Brendan, 12 yrs.: Me and my family were on zoom this afternoon, and I saw that my brother was in a position where he cannot move anything and that made me sad. I think that if we raise money, maybe we can help him. would you pray for my brother DJ?
From DJ's Stepdad, Kelii: This just sucks. It is the saddest thing I have ever witnessed. We were able to finally see him this afternoon on video, and he is able to write with his right hand on a white board. He is intubated, so could not talk and became so emotional at his Mom's voice that it became hard for him to breathe. He was worried about us and everyone else and was worn out pretty fast. This kid deserves a miracle. Deserves people to believe in him. He deserves the world. Thank you for all of your prayers.
Thank you all for taking the time to support DJ. If you would like to leave him a note that we can read to him when things are hard both now and in the future, please do so. Every thought, prayer and well wish means the world right now.
6/30/22
It has been awhile since we updated, so we wanted to let you all know how DJ is doing. Thank you as always for all your prayers, love, support and well wishes. We appreciate you all!
The praise: DJ has finally started to gain some strength in his right arm. He is now able to pick up a ten pound weight, which is absolutely huge! He still only has gross motor movements in his upper limbs bilaterally for the most part, but has gotten really good at feeding himself with his fist and doing other small things with his right hand. If any of you remember last year around this time we had almost no movement in his arms at all!!! His left arm is still very weak, but we are holding out hope that the nerve surgery we had will eventually be successful on his left arm.
What this means: We are able to start working on some functional ADLs, woot woot!!! This is a miracle!!!
We are still settling into the "new to us" house, that we have now adapted to have an amazing wheelchair ramp and bathroom, etc. to meet DJ's needs. We have 48 inch hallways for his power chair and 36 inch doorways. It is a blessing beyond belief. Thank you to all of you who made this possible!
The prayer: Pain management remains an issue as we continue to deal with chronic UTIs and kidney stones, as well as the surgeries and sepsis that has gone along with it. We need lots of prayer for this to resolve.
Needs: We are still fighting with insurance to get lots of things covered, including DJ's power chair (we are still in a loaner), hospital bed (he needs one that will go up and down for transfer and care), fes bike, some visits, labs, supplies etc, etc. It is truly amazing the amount of push back we are coming up against with insurance and the amount of debt we are taking on. If you are able to help or know someone who has equipment, we still really could use it!! We also need help for daily things that are not covered such as briefs, meds, suppositories, wipes, wound care, and other supplies, etc. We couldn't do it without you!!
Original Post:
My son, Dale Ray Ludwig, Jr., is a 20-year old, extremely loved baby boy and is known lovingly to all of his friends and family as DJ. He is the 3rd oldest child in our family of 7 kiddos. He was the victim of a shooting on Friday, January 29, 2021 and has suffered a spinal cord injury (SCI). We have been told that he is neurologically presenting as a quadriplegic, and he is on a ventilator. We appreciate all of the prayers, love and care that everyone has shown. If you have the means to help financially during this difficult time, we would really appreciate it. Every little bit will help. Thank you so much for your care and consideration! If you cannot afford to donate, we ask that you would send your prayers, light a candle, and/or send loving thoughts his way. He needs our love and support desperately. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we have not even been able to go in to see our baby boy. If you could pray for our family as well, we would really appreciate it. Please see below for more information on our ask.
Current Immediate Need
We need to raise about 35k for in-home rehab equipment, 15-20k to make our downstairs livable for DJ (including ramps, entry/exit modifications, hallway and door modifications, washroom install/modifications as all of our bedrooms and bathrooms are on our 2nd story and already full of kiddos), and another 25-30k for a vehicle outfitted to transport a full body tilt chair. He is still presenting neurologically as a C3 injury so will need accommodations as such.
About DJ's Injury
The bullet passed through his arm, went through his chest, and is now located in his spinal cord at the T3 level. The bullet missed his heart, but has caused damage to his left lung, and the vessels and nerves in his arm were also damaged. He currently does not have any sensory or motor function below his level of injury and is being classified as a Grade A on the ASIA Impairment Scale. He is currently in critical condition in the trauma-ICU. They have decided not to remove the bullet at the hospital he is currently at stating that the literature supports leaving it in the spinal canal. There have been debates for decades on whether or not removal improves outcome with many doctors on either side of the fence. We have had further consults with outside providers that believe he may have added benefit from the bullet being removed. Some of the benefits of removal are preventing further damage from things such as bone fragments, migration, and toxicity due to the lead content of the bullet, as well as to try to reduce the risk of other things such as post traumatic syringomyelia (PTS). While there are also risks with removal (and with any surgery), they tend to be significantly less in the T-spine compared to the C-spine due to location. However, these must also be taken into account. If the bullet remains, it may exclude DJ from elective and experimental rehab therapies that are cutting edge in the treatment of spinal cord injury. We would really like him to have the option for removal, if he chooses to do so. However, this is not the current fundraising focus as there are more pressing current needs.
More About DJ's Financial Needs
There is a misconception, even in the medical community, of what is covered by insurance when it comes to spinal cord injuries. DJ's insurance should cover most of his current in-patient trauma based medical care which is primarily focused on getting him out of the hospital alive and in a tilt chair. However, insurance will not cover things that are necessary for DJ to stay safe and healthy such as a vehicle for transportation (we live in a rural area with no access to public transportation), home modifications, and/or any in-patient elective (or even some non-elective) or rehab programs in or out-of-state that have helped other people gain function, nor will it cover the expenses of access to spinal rehab and devices that may prove to be extremely beneficial to his care and improve his function both in the short-term and in the long-term and also improve his quality of life. Either way, he is facing a very long road ahead of him.
Messages from his family:
From DJ's Mom, Anna: This is a parent's worst nightmare. Due to COVID, we are not allowed in the hospital to able to see DJ and to care for him like every parent wants to. I cannot hold his hand, kiss his face or calm him down. We also cannot speak with the doctor's face to face, which has led to confusion and chaos. While I understand the necessity of these stipulations during the pandemic, it has been truly heartbreaking to know that he is lying there, not knowing what is happening, strapped to a hospital bed, being intubated, and not knowing what to expect and why he cannot feel his legs. I hope they find the people who did this and stop them from ever hurting someone like this again. They have taken away his ability to move anything below T3 and his left hand grip. He can only rely on his right hand at the time being. It is my hope to provide DJ with the ABSOLUTE best care and best chance at restoring as much function as possible. He is only 20 yrs. old and needs our help! This kid has a HUGE heart!!! I appreciate all of the prayers, love and care that everyone has shown. If you have the means to help financially during this difficult time, we would really appreciate it. Anything will help, as this is a pretty life-altering event. Thank you so much for your care and prayers. Please continue to send them our way!
From DJ's Eldest Brother, Tyler 23 yrs.: I just want him to have his best fighting chance. Anything you can do to help... we are hoping and praying for miracles.
From DJ's Sister, Bella, 14 yrs.: I want my brother to have the best care. If you can, please help him get care that may help him. I am worried about his life and how this will be for him. I think this would help him mentally and physically. Mentally is probably the worst for him.
From DJ's Youngest Sister Eva, 9 yrs.: I just want my brother to get better. I love him so much. He means so much to me. Please pray.
From DJ's Youngest brother Brendan, 12 yrs.: Me and my family were on zoom this afternoon, and I saw that my brother was in a position where he cannot move anything and that made me sad. I think that if we raise money, maybe we can help him. would you pray for my brother DJ?
From DJ's Stepdad, Kelii: This just sucks. It is the saddest thing I have ever witnessed. We were able to finally see him this afternoon on video, and he is able to write with his right hand on a white board. He is intubated, so could not talk and became so emotional at his Mom's voice that it became hard for him to breathe. He was worried about us and everyone else and was worn out pretty fast. This kid deserves a miracle. Deserves people to believe in him. He deserves the world. Thank you for all of your prayers.
Thank you all for taking the time to support DJ. If you would like to leave him a note that we can read to him when things are hard both now and in the future, please do so. Every thought, prayer and well wish means the world right now.