On December 18th I suffered a serious injury and had to have emergency reconstructive surgery on my left elbow.

I've been unable to work for over three weeks now and still have a few of months of healing and physical therapy ahead of me before I can return to work in my normal capacity.

My hospitalization and surgery will be mostly covered by insurance, however I may still end up owing around $1,500 for the care I have already received. I no longer have insurance coverage as of January 1st and will likely have to pay out-of-pocket for physical therapy.

I anticipate not receiving a paycheck for multiple months. With no income and the burden of these medical bills, this accident has put me in a difficult financial situation. I have exhausted any savings and all other resources and now am in danger of losing my house and my business.

I am asking for donations to help pay for living expenses and medical bills until I am able to return to work. It's very tough to be unable to provide for myself financially, and I sincerely appreciate help from anyone who is in a position to do so.

My Injury

On December 18th I had a bad fall while skateboarding and messed myself up pretty bad. I've been skateboarding for over 30 years and have suffered many injuries in the past, but this one takes the cake.

A group of friends in their 30's, 40's, and 50's have been getting together every Thursday to skate around Freetown, Downtown, and the UL Campus.

We were skating in downtown one Thursday night and I hit a crack while skating really fast. I fell in a weird way, directly on my left elbow. It crumbled upon impact and my hands and face slid along the asphalt. I got up and walked to sit on the curb. When I inspected my deformed and floppy arm, I instantly knew that I had a serious injury. The bleeding from my face, hands, and knees was the least of my worries.

My friends brought me to the emergency room at Lafayette General Hospital and waited with me. After doing x-rays and a CT scan of my elbow, it was determined that I had comminuted fractures (shattered into multiple pieces) to both my radius and ulna at the elbow and would need emergency reconstructive surgery.

I was admitted to the hospital and spent the night in the ICU where they pumped me full of morphine, antibiotics, blood thinners, and about seven other drugs to prepare me for surgery. Around 1am the surgeon came to talk to me and give me his assessment of my injury and what his plan was to repair my elbow. I would need a plate and screws to piece my ulna back together, and a prostetic radial head as mine was too damaged to be reattached. He reassured me that although it was a severe injury, he had repaired worse in his career.

At 9am the next day they wheeled me to the operating room for surgery. When I woke up about three hours later, my arm was wrapped in bandages and the PA was taking final x-rays. She explained that I wouldn't be getting a cast and that I would only have weight restrictions but not range of motion restrictions. Though my whole arm and hand was extremely swollen, I was excited that I was able to slightly wiggle all of my fingers. I was also happy to not be in a full arm cast or have a cage around my elbow.

I spent the next two days recovering in the hospital. The pain and swelling was intense. I was extremely fortunate to have a handful of friends come to visit and bring me phone chargers and food. This definitely helped improve my mood and take my mind off of things.

On December 20th I was discharged from the hospital and got a ride to my house. At first I wasn't able to be on my feet for more than a couple minutes at a time.

My second day home I did the first change of the dressing on my surgical wound. I was unsure what I would find upon removing the bandages. I ended up having an 8" long incision, closed up with 25 staples, along with some very colorful bruising.

The first week at home was very difficult and I am so grateful for my friends who came to bring me food, help me around the house, and keep me company. I spent most of my time on my reclining couch, heavily medicated, elevating and icing my arm, and recording acapella music on my cell phone.

My second week of recovery was a bit easier. One week after my accident I was able to spend Christmas with some friends and be off of the couch for a few hours, although I was definitely feeling it the next day. The swelling was slowly going down and I was able to start using my left hand a little bit, unable to make a fist but could lightly grip with my thumb and index fingers. Still lots of bruising to me entire arm, shoulder, and side.

I was able to spend more time on my feet and start cooking for myself although unable to do some of the basic tasks like use a can opener or chop vegetables. Once again, I am very thankful for my friends who came to help me out with food prep and enjoy meals together. My cat Cruiser also kept me company.

On December 29th I was worried about how swollen my wrist and hand were still. Everyone would comment that it looked like I had a fake plastic hand because it was so swollen and bloated looking. I went to get an x-ray as a precaution to make sure I didn't fracture anything in addition to my elbow.

Luckily, everything looked fine and the swelling was just a by-product of the injury and surgery. Interestingly, you can see where the tip of the ulna at my wrist is missing from another injury 20 years ago.

On December 30th, my brother Carl flew in from Las Vegas to stay with me for a week and help me around the house. His assistance was crucial in helping me catch up on chores and do a lot of cooking.

By the third week the pain and swelling had subsided enough to be able to start doing some light exercising and stretching daily, as well as go on some hikes. I am normally very physically active, so being able to return to some of this has been essential for my physical and mental health.

On January 7th I had my first post-op checkup. They x-rayed my elbow and removed the staples. The PA told me that I would need to start physical therapy ASAP and to start using my arm as much as possible without any added weight.

My Plan

I will be starting physical therapy on January 12th. Currently the range of motion of my elbow and wrist are severely limited, and my surgeon foresees 3+ months of therapy to regain approximately 80% of what I had before the accident.

I am now able to manage many daily tasks and household chores on my own, and hope to continue regaining more independence.

I will be focusing on my recovery and working to regain use of my arm while continuing to explore all avenues to pay my bills. It's very hard for me to sit still, and I hope to be able to return to my regular work ASAP.

My Living Expenses

Home (mortgage, insurance, maintenance, property tax, utilities) - $1,700

Healthcare (medical, dental) - $700

Transportation (car payment, fees, maintenance) - $600

Food (groceries, meals) - $400

Personal (clothing, personal care products, cell phone service) - $400

Pet Care (indoor and outdoor cats) - $200

TOTAL - $4,000/month

The least expensive insurance coverage that I can get through healthcare.gov is $600/month with a $10,000 deductible before anything is covered. I doubt I will be able to afford the $600 premium while also paying out-of-pocket for physical therapy and other medical expenses.

My Work

I have been self-employed since 2019. I work as an Electronics Technician and Field Engineer, which requires me to lift and manipulate heavy things, as well as have fine motor control of my hands for things like soldering under a microscope. I am the sole employee of my company, Oryx Research Labs LLC, so I am not able to pass off the work to someone else.

The business has fixed monthly overhead costs which have to be paid regardless of whether I am working or not. I am going to begin liquidating some tools and equipment to try and cover these costs for now:

Insurance (commercial auto, liability, E&O, property) - $1200

Office Expenses (software, supplies, maintenance, PO box, property tax) - $800

Other (fees, interest) - $350

Professional Services (accounting, legal) - $250

Sales & Marketing (web hosting, CMS software) - $100

TOTAL - $2,700/month

I will not be using this fundraiser to keep the business afloat and will continue liquidating tools, equipment, and inventory and close the business if necessary and look for full-time work when I am able.

I do have some work lined up that I can perform with only one arm/hand, however it will not generate enough revenue to cover my overhead costs so I will still not be receiving a paycheck. I continue to look for more work opportunities, but for someone who is primarily skilled in working with their hands this has been tough.

I may be able to use my left arm and hand a bit more in the coming months, but how soon is difficult to say until I begin physical therapy.

My Resources

Unfortunately I have not yet been approved for or received any type of aid so far.

I have been working with a case manager from Quantum Health. They have been extremely helpful in helping me navigate my coverage and advocate for my rights and investigating what resources may be available to help me during this time.

SSI (disability payments) - I have paid in enough credits during my working career, however no benefits are available unless disabled for one year or more.

Short-term disability, unemployment, worker's comp - As a self-employed individual in the state of Louisiana, none of these benefits are available to me.

Sick time, vacation time - These are a direct cost to my business and I do not have any remaining savings to cover taking time off right now.

Medicaid - Applied

SNAP (grocery cost assistance) - Applied

Ochsner Hospital financial assistance (medical bill discounts) - Applied

GoodRX - Have a card to receive discounts on out-of-pocket costs for prescriptions.

Lafayette SMILE (housing and utility expense assistance) - Have called multiple times but have been told to call back at a future date to check availability.

Catholic Charities of Acadiana (one-time utility expense assistance) - Applied

Family - All of my family members live out of state. They are able to provide support from afar, but they are not able to be here physically.