Dear Friends, Family, and Kind Strangers

Last month, our brother Paul Barkley, traveled to New Orleans alone to grieve the devastating loss of his 41-year-old daughter, May, who passed away recently after a brief battle with stage 4 kidney failure. While there, tragedy struck again—he bent down to pick up his phone, lost his balance, and fell, suffering a severe brain bleed.

Paul underwent emergency brain surgery, was on a ventilator for three weeks, then had a feeding tube and tracheostomy put in place for nourishment and breathing assistance. Although he is beginning to show signs of improvement, the care team foresees Paul requiring a minimum of 9-12 months in a skilled care facility where he will re-learn basic independent living skills such as walking, talking and feeding himself.

Paul has insurance, however, there are numerous additional expenses that are needed to aid in his recovery. The immediate need is transportation from the hospital in New Orleans to a specialized nursing facility in Florida where he and other family members live. It is crucial that he be near family and friends as he heals, but Paul can only travel by ambulance, and his insurance will not cover that expense, which is rather astronomical. In addition, your generous donation would also help with his daughter’s lost income while she is visiting and caring for her dad.

Paul's daughter, Suzie, who had just buried her sister, immediately flew to Louisiana to be at her father's side. She's been battling MS for 15 years and is now balancing her grief, missing work, and paying for flights and accommodations near the hospital. Paul's wife, Mary, a middle school teacher in Atlanta, tragically drowned eight years ago—their family has endured so much loss.

How Your Donation Helps: Paul has health insurance, but we need help with:

Travel and hotel costs for family to stay with him

Ambulance transfer from New Orleans to facility in Orlando near family

Suzie's lost income and expenses away from home

Paul's bills while he can't work

Rehabilitation and recovery costs

Every dollar matters. No amount is too small.

Whether you can donate or not, please share this campaign and keep Paul and his family in your prayers for a fast and complete recovery.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Love, Sarah Barkley Mabal and the rest of our family.

God Bless you all!