Help pay Raj's medical expenses
Donation protected
Raj (aka 'Bert') Patel had a bad accident in August 2016, falling down a long flight of stairs in his apartment in San Francisco.
Raj suffered a severe Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and had 2 operations on his spine/neck the following day - various titanium plates and pins were inserted, along with a bone graft from his hip.
As a result of the injury, Raj is a quadriplegic, with injury at C4/C5, classified 'C' on the ASIA impairment scale. What does that mean? Raj has very limited movement in his arms, and less in his legs. He currently has very little movement and feeling in his hands. Today he is limited to a manual wheelchair.
That all sounds pretty bleak, right? The good news is that his intellect and sense of humor are undamaged, and some motion has been gradually returning as he recovers from the injury and surgery. Raj was very well looked after at the Spinal Rehab unit, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, CA, then staying with wonderful friends in Burlingame and now living in a new temporary home also in Burlingame.
Why are we asking for money?
- Raj had good medical insurance through his employer - but even so, the short term out of pocket expenses from the accident will be at least $10,000
- He is having to move to a new home, without all those pesky stairs
- There are many significant purchases Raj and family need to make - a new car, bed, lifting equipment, showers, and so on.
- Raj needs nursing type care multiple times a day. Debbie is being trained to handle much of this, but this is best when supplemented by private nursing help who can visit them at home.
- Raj will be able to visit rehab centers as an outpatient, but purchasing home exercise equipment will enable him to work on his recovery daily.
Raj, Debbie & Hamish at SCVMC
Although Raj can't (yet!) move his hands, by moving his arm and wrist he can control an attached stylus to operate a phone or tablet.
Titanium plates and screws were inserted into Raj's neck to relieve the pressure on his spinal cord
Oops. A scan from before the surgeries, showing the SCI.
More images of the metalwork. The thin lines in the last one are the staples holding the wound back together.
Raj suffered a severe Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and had 2 operations on his spine/neck the following day - various titanium plates and pins were inserted, along with a bone graft from his hip.
As a result of the injury, Raj is a quadriplegic, with injury at C4/C5, classified 'C' on the ASIA impairment scale. What does that mean? Raj has very limited movement in his arms, and less in his legs. He currently has very little movement and feeling in his hands. Today he is limited to a manual wheelchair.
That all sounds pretty bleak, right? The good news is that his intellect and sense of humor are undamaged, and some motion has been gradually returning as he recovers from the injury and surgery. Raj was very well looked after at the Spinal Rehab unit, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, CA, then staying with wonderful friends in Burlingame and now living in a new temporary home also in Burlingame.
Why are we asking for money?
- Raj had good medical insurance through his employer - but even so, the short term out of pocket expenses from the accident will be at least $10,000
- He is having to move to a new home, without all those pesky stairs
- There are many significant purchases Raj and family need to make - a new car, bed, lifting equipment, showers, and so on.
- Raj needs nursing type care multiple times a day. Debbie is being trained to handle much of this, but this is best when supplemented by private nursing help who can visit them at home.
- Raj will be able to visit rehab centers as an outpatient, but purchasing home exercise equipment will enable him to work on his recovery daily.
Raj, Debbie & Hamish at SCVMCAlthough Raj can't (yet!) move his hands, by moving his arm and wrist he can control an attached stylus to operate a phone or tablet.
Titanium plates and screws were inserted into Raj's neck to relieve the pressure on his spinal cord
Oops. A scan from before the surgeries, showing the SCI.
More images of the metalwork. The thin lines in the last one are the staples holding the wound back together.Organizer
Raj Patel
Organizer
Burlingame, CA