$46,870 raised
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Help Monte Richardson Get Critical Medical Care

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Hi, my name is Ayla Zamangil and I am Monte Richardson's niece. I am writing this appeal on behalf of him and his kids, Melody and Orman Richardson.
 
My Uncle Monte notoriously shows up for everyone. He's been an essential part of my life since the moment I was born 33 years ago. He is kind and thoughtful and generous, and always puts the people he loves first. I hope that now, in his moment of greatest need, we can all come together to support him and put him first.

Uncle Monte spent 30 years in the news business, which included 10 years as producer and videographer for "Call For Action" on 11Alive, which helped so many in our community. About 15 years ago, he ruptured his achilles tendon, and everything changed. This injury triggered a rare muscular degenerative disease called Polymyositis. Despite his best efforts and trying every therapy there is, Uncle Monte is wheelchair-bound and severely immunocompromised. In 2017, my Aunt Birnur, his wife, was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of lung cancer. She was taken from us just 6 months after diagnosis. Melody and Orman have been his full time caretakers ever since. 

This is important background information because in the spring of 2021 he, like many of us, excitedly got his COVID-19 vaccine. However, unbeknownst to him or his doctors, due to the Polymyositis his immune system didn't mount a big enough response to the vaccine to provide him any immunity. He was completely exposed and none of us knew it.
 
In the summer of 2021, on his 65th birthday, he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and he and his children, Melody and Orman, have been playing the cruelest game of medical whack a mole since that moment. After a week of isolation in the hospital, he was released home and that is when the problems actually began. After about 2 months, he began having trouble breathing at night. On October 2nd, he was hospitalized with septic shock. This was due to undiagnosed pneumonia that finally caused the infection in his blood that lead to the sepsis. This went undiagnosed because of the lack of immune response due to the Polymyositis.

Once hospitalized, we soon learned he would need a tracheostomy in order to be able to function, as extubating him without support was not an option. With that procedure, a feeding tube became necessary. This simple procedure soon proved to be not so simple. He ended up having the operation done 3 times, as the feeding tube would not stay in the proper location and in this process his colon was eventually ruptured as well. With a ruptured colon, an ostomy bag also became necessary. 

On New Years Eve, the hospital deemed him well enough to go home under the supervision of his non-medically trained children (no home nurse help was available at the time). They gave them a crash course on his care (ventilator/tracheostomy/feeding tube/ostomy bag) and supplied the necessary equipment, but within 2 weeks- at no fault to Melody and Orman- Uncle Monte had redeveloped pneumonia and was sent back to Emory, where he has been ever since.

COVID-19 ravaged his body and he is still on a ventilator to breathe and a feeding tube to receive the nutrients he needs. The team at Emory has been an incredible support system for Uncle Monte and have done so much to show their love and help guide him in his recovery. However, after determining home care is not an option without a full time, 24 hour nurse, the hospital and the Richardsons are in agreement that a long term care facility will be the best option for his continued care. 
 
This is where you come in. Due to his Polymyositis and his new life-long needs that resulted from fighting COVID-19, Uncle Monte needs extremely high-level medical care. There are only 5 facilities in the state of Georgia that can serve him and they are all unbelievably expensive.
 
Today, we are asking you to help us raise $400,000 to pay for his first year in a long-term care facility. Unfortunately, neither Medicare nor private insurance will cover his critical medical care needs and he can't stay at Emory forever. His children are in an impossible situation, trying to figure out how to pay for the care that he needs to survive.

Despite his medical challenges, my uncle Monte remains one of the most positive people I know. His upbeat nature is an essential part of his personality. Those who know him say he's a fascinating, loyal, and valued friend who is willing to help others.
 
The Richardson family has shown up for me at every turn in my life, and I know they have for many others, too. They are good people who have found themselves at the mercy of our broken healthcare system, and I hope you will consider donating to this amazing family so that my uncle can live his life with the help he needs and the dignity he deserves.
 
Thank you so much.
 
 
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    Organizer

    Melody Richardson
    Organizer
    Stone Mountain, GA

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