Help Overcome Medical Hardships and Expenses

Hi All

I was advised to do this. I'm not one to ask for help, but 2024 was personally a terrible year. I've had 13 surgeries in the past 24 months, a brutal stretch. It's been a life changer for me in many unfortunate ways.

I fell and broke my shoulder in November of 2021 and that was the start of my demise. I've had two major surgeries on that shoulder since. The hardware in there has shifted and I've lost 75% of my motion in my arm. I've had 8 surgeries on my left foot and ankle since March of 2023.

The next corrective surgery on my foot & ankle is on 2/21/25. If that doesn't succeed, I'm looking at an amputation. All due to a surgeon's incompetence. I've spoken with lawyers and the statute of limitations for any surgery is one year. They feel that another orthopedist won't testify on my behalf. Medical doctors don't testify against surgeons in their own back yard.

On April 2, 2024 I called 911 as I had become severely ill. I was rushed to the hospital and had emergency back surgery. I had pneumonia, three severe infections in my back, and the worst pain of my life. In May I had another 7-hour back surgery. Additionally, all the hardware in my left foot and ankle was also infected. I had a May surgery on that to remove all the hardware. Thus, I've been in a walking boot since that time. I can't go anywhere without it. I also can't go out unless I'm in my back brace.

While undergoing the first back surgery (4/24), my left hand was pinned underneath me. I now have a claw for my left hand. The damaged nerves were operated on in December 2024, but I've had no more improvement since then. This is all due once again to a surgeon's incompetence.

I thus have a complete disaster on the left part of my body. My foot & ankle require yet another major surgery that has a high complication and infection rate. My left leg will be immobilized for 6-8 weeks. I then will have to get into a walking boot for another 4-6 weeks. My left hand is deformed now and I can't even type any longer.

I had 6 surgeries in 6 months in 2023 on my left foot and ankle. The surgeon couldn't get it right. This has caused me to have a "charcot" foot. This is why I'm staring at a last resort highly complex operation next month. During this 2023 time frame, the surgeon placed my left foot ankle in a hard cast. The cast was too tight. In just 48 hours, I opened up 4 sores on my foot from the improper casting. Two of these spots were so large, you could see the tendons in my toe and foot. These required skin grafts that took several months to heal, under a daily bandaging routine. Excruciating pain ensued during this ordeal. Pain is my constant companion now. I don't take narcotics, so I'll endure this pain for the rest of my life.

I was in the hospital for 41 days and then transferred to a rehab facility. I spent 59 days there. I wasn't home for 100 consecutive days and missed Memorial Day, my birthday, and July 4th. My beloved Shih Tzu Lexi was in a pet boarding home the entire time. I was unable to care or her when I returned home. She remained at the boarding home for the remainder of 2024. She was an older dog and we rarely saw one another. She subsequently suffered loss of hearing and vision. However, the worst was her ongoing "doggie dementia." She was so bad in mid-December of 2024 (she no longer knew me), that we all agreed she needed to be put down. So on Friday, December 13th, I held on tight as she took her last breath. I cried like a baby and still do on occasion. This was a cruel end to an awful year.

Upon my discharge from the rehab facility, I was sent home, unable to care for myself. However, the insurance company decided otherwise and gave me 48 hours to pack up and go home. I fell three times during the first three weeks at home. Two of these were in the middle of the night, and I had to call 911 to get any assistance off the floor.

As you might expect, the bills not covered by insurance have been staggering. I shelled out over $12k to the rehab facility alone. The 911 trip to the hospital was $1450, and the two 911 calls for assistance were $450 each. A typical copay for these operations is $175 - $325, which I've now paid 13 times over. I've had to liquidate a $25k IRA that was for my retirement. It's all gone; to date, I've paid over $50k in medical bills alone. Imagine all the unexpected hospital and doctor visits, many times unable to drive. Count in pain and suffering, and that figure of $50k easily triples.

Since I returned home in late July, I've had an in-home service. I can't stand in the shower nor bend over to wash myself. I'm doing things with only one leg and one hand. This entire service has been paid for solely by myself. These folks have now been paid over $30k and counting.

I'm not asking for any money for myself, only to make up for all the paid and unpaid medical bills that I've accrued. I have had my checking account in the negative many times, and my credit is ruined. My FICO score dropped 200 points! I have one credit card that's maxed out, as no one will give me a loan now. My credit standing, which has been exemplary all my life, is now toast.

I've diligently pursued physical therapy after every surgery. I've worked hard and did what they told me. I still am severely handicapped through no fault of my own.