Help for Carla Roope

As many in the community of Gary, WV, know, Carla Roope has been a devoted volunteer at the McDowell County Humane Society for several years. On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 31, 2018, Carla was tending to a dog who had been housed at the shelter for several months and had shown no signs of aggression. On this day, however, something prompted the dog to attack, biting her first in her calf, tearing nearly all the muscle from her lower leg. The attack continued and Carla's arms bore the brunt of the vicious bites. Two other volunteers were able to get the dog off of her and the family credits these folks with saving Carla's life. In the aftermath, Carla lost a significant amount of blood and her right arm especially suffered severe damage. She was transported to Welch Community Hospital, then eventually to CAMC Trauma Center where she underwent her first surgery. She is now at UPMC Pittsburg where doctors are hopeful that she will not lose her arm and she will regain the ability to walk over time. 

     Her husband Greg and daughters Stephanie and Beth have been by her side since the beginning. The family now needs our help so that the loss of work and other expenses can help carry them to have someone with Carla during her lengthy recovery and many surgeries to come. To know Carla is to know how devoted she is to her several grandchildren, as well as the abandoned animals she has helped to foster and care for over the years. Needless to say, this is an incredibly life-changing event that has taken place for her and her family and the purpose of this campaign is just to help alleviate one worry. The cost of caring for a loved one in an out-of-state hospital adds up fast and her stay there will be extended. Her husband, kids, and extended family are organizing ourselves to have someone there in Pittsburg with her as she tackles the weeks ahead. 

     All of your donations are greatly appreciated and will be utilized to help whatever financial needs Greg and Carla are facing. They will be automatically transferred to their own personal account. I want to note that neither Greg nor Carla have requested this. Their family has made the decision to do this without letting them know as they would be the first to say that they'll get by. And I'm sure they are resourceful enough that they could, but we as their family don't want to see them struggle any ounce more than they have to. 

     Finally, we can't stress enough the difference that prayer has made in this situation. Please remember Carla and her family as you pray. Praying and sharing this link are two very helpful ways to be involved if you are unable to donate. 

     To clarify who I am:  My name is Stacy Grubb. I've been married to Greg and Carla's nephew for 20 years and have been "part of the family" since I was 14 years old. I was friends with their daughters for years before I was made an official family member by marrying my husband.