Help Needed for Joel & Brooke
Donation protected
Joel was admitted to Northside Hospital in Sandy Springs on Sunday, June 23, 2019. He had a very nasty sore on the back of his foot that would not heal and he could not walk. 
Brooke had to call the ambulance to come pick him up. When he got to the hospital, his sugar & white blood count were really high. They did a culture of his wound and it showed MRSA and staph. They could not do surgery until they got his sugar under control. After a few days, they did his first surgery. They cleaned the wound and talked about possible amputation. They did more cultures to find out the type of bacteria he had. They had to remove the majority of his achilles tendon, as it was necrotic. They left his wound open for follow-up surgeries. 
In the following days, his white blood count continued to rise and Joel ended up having 3 more surgeries before they closed his wound. 
Joel has been in the hospital for 1 month now. Once discharged, he will get transferred to a rehab facility to learn to walk again.
Once released from rehab, Joel will still have a difficult time in front of him. He has been diagnosed with Diabetes and will be on multiple insulin shots every day. He still won't be able to go home for a while because his apartment is on a hill and his bathroom and bedroom are upstairs. He does not want to file for disability and plans to go back to work once he has been cleared to do so.
Right before all this occured, Brooke had already put in a 2-weeks notice to resign from her current job. Her insurance stopped on her last date of employment, which was July 5th. She started her new job on July 7th; however, her insurance will not take effect until she has been there for 6 months. Joel did not have insurance at his job (he was covered under Brooke's insurance). They are now having to pay COBRA until Brooke's new insurance begins or until he can get coverage thru his job. Joel has been out of work for a month now and we don't know how long he will continue to be out of work. Brooke has the only income now. Besides paying for COBRA, she will have numerous hospital and doctor bills, rehab bills, as well as, all of their normal monthly bills.
This is all very overwhelming for both of them. They don't want to ask for help but we know they are struggling and will need all the help they can get. We are reaching out to family and friends and ask for your help and prayers in this difficult time.
Brooke had to call the ambulance to come pick him up. When he got to the hospital, his sugar & white blood count were really high. They did a culture of his wound and it showed MRSA and staph. They could not do surgery until they got his sugar under control. After a few days, they did his first surgery. They cleaned the wound and talked about possible amputation. They did more cultures to find out the type of bacteria he had. They had to remove the majority of his achilles tendon, as it was necrotic. They left his wound open for follow-up surgeries. In the following days, his white blood count continued to rise and Joel ended up having 3 more surgeries before they closed his wound. Joel has been in the hospital for 1 month now. Once discharged, he will get transferred to a rehab facility to learn to walk again.Once released from rehab, Joel will still have a difficult time in front of him. He has been diagnosed with Diabetes and will be on multiple insulin shots every day. He still won't be able to go home for a while because his apartment is on a hill and his bathroom and bedroom are upstairs. He does not want to file for disability and plans to go back to work once he has been cleared to do so.Right before all this occured, Brooke had already put in a 2-weeks notice to resign from her current job. Her insurance stopped on her last date of employment, which was July 5th. She started her new job on July 7th; however, her insurance will not take effect until she has been there for 6 months. Joel did not have insurance at his job (he was covered under Brooke's insurance). They are now having to pay COBRA until Brooke's new insurance begins or until he can get coverage thru his job. Joel has been out of work for a month now and we don't know how long he will continue to be out of work. Brooke has the only income now. Besides paying for COBRA, she will have numerous hospital and doctor bills, rehab bills, as well as, all of their normal monthly bills.
This is all very overwhelming for both of them. They don't want to ask for help but we know they are struggling and will need all the help they can get. We are reaching out to family and friends and ask for your help and prayers in this difficult time.
Co-organizers (3)
Paula Phillips McBride
Organizer
Winder, GA
Brooke Rutledge Tharp
Beneficiary
Cindy Phillips Reynolds
Co-organizer