Life of a Type 1 Diabetic

In Dec 17 2022

Joel Stair Jr went to the hospital for what we thought might be a sprained ankle. On the 17th they put him in a splint. The next day on the 18th we went back to the hospital because he was an agonizing pain. They put him in a full leg cast. After 10 minutes of the cast being on they cut the cast open to let the leg breathe. He was still an excruciating pain. He stayed like this until December 26 the day after Christmas we took him back to have the casket cut off. Once the cast was off. They could tell he had and infection which turned out to be osteomyelitis, which is a staff infection in the bone. Then After 7 surgeries on Aug 9th 2023 he broke his legs due to infection and necrotic bone. He then had an external fixator put on to heal his broken bone and straighten his foot at the ankle. I had to cut away about a half an inch of bone. Then the week of Christmas 2023 he had the external fixator taken off. We spent Christmas 2022 and 2023 in the hospital. For about a year, he’s been fighting the infection still on antibiotics. And still with every part of his being fighting he is also a Type 1 diabetic, which makes healing very hard. On and off he has dealt with pain from 2022, 2023 and 2024 most of 2024 was uneventful. Until December 16, 2024 when joel broke his leg again from one of the pen sites for the external fixator. He was life flighted to Macon, Ga because weather got bad and they could not take him to Atlanta after staying there and evaluating him. They told me that it would be well after the next day before they could get a ride for him to CHOA at Scottish Rite. So they told me the other option was me driving him to Atlanta. So I did, once there he had an another series of operations to repair the bone put in a stainless steel rod and treat with more antibiotics more operations for bereavement, a series of more and more surgeries that caused his leg to not be able to be closed without a wound VAC. At this point, he has had 13 surgeries. And they think that they’re going to have to use skin graft to close him. They’re able to close him. With out skin grafts luckily. Then everything just starts to collide. Surgery number 15 was on February 13 to remove the stainless steel rod because the infection was spreading . The infection is back with a vengeance over an inch and a half of bone is necrotic. Surgery number 17 is scheduled for Monday morning. The Doctor will have to go in and remove an inch and a half to 2 inches of necrotic bone. Then they will put anabiotic beads in the wound put a new another external fixator on his leg. And close him up and in 12-18 days they were making an incision on the opposite side and remove the beads. she will also break the leg to make a bone sleeve, so that new bone can grow between the sleeve up and down to the old bones. As of right now, she will be keeping him for 4-6 weeks at Scottish rite at CHOS. He is not going home anytime soon. We have had a nice Valentine’s Day in the hospital, even with the pain. Last night he was in so much pain. I told him I would do anything if I could take the pain and he told me you do not want it dad. Then later, he told me just take the leg. I’m tired of the pain. I can’t continue going through this. So please continue to pray. This is the last hope to save his leg anything after this they will amputate. Joel Jr has the biggest heart for a child that has gone through so much he loves people and I hate to see him suffer. Please continue to pray for this boy if nothing else. Please help any way you can.

any funds raise will be used for help with any additional medical expenses. We live 2 1/2 hours away from where he will be at for the next 4-6 weeks in the hospital.