Help Pete get surgery to save his life

I am writing this backstory for a close friend of mine, Pete Gould Jr. It took a lot of pressure from me to gain his permission, as Pete has never been one to ask for help or take something he has not earned. As you read a little more, you will come to understand this, you will develop some respect for him, and you will admire how he has dealt with his life situation. It is his life, he has done the best he can with it, and he has never attempted to burden others with his challenges. However, things have changed, and now Pete (and his wife Tiffany) need our help.

Pete is a home-grown Mainer, excellent with a wrench, building motorcycles, customizing them, with amazing paint jobs as well. Pete has always been a hard worker and always found a way to earn his own. The day after Pete’s 30th birthday, he was taking a motorcycle for a ride to diagnose an issue for a customer when a deer ran out of the woods and collided with him. He suffered a T12 burst fracture which caused him to undergo 4 months in physical rehab and then placed him in a wheelchair for life. Despite Pete being in a wheelchair, it is very easy to forget he is in one. I have made that same mistake a few times myself because nothing stops him. As if this devastating injury was not enough, his wife then left him and took their kids. Pete was now alone, trying to navigate his new normal, and determine how he would move forward. He moved in with his parents for several years, because being self-employed, he lost everything he owned, either by his wife taking it or him selling what he had left to pay his bills.

As Pete progressed, he was able to resume working on the side as he slowly acquired tools, and the word of his quality work spread. He saved as much money as he could and then Pete was able to purchase the house he currently lives in 17 years ago, and with the help of many friends, he was able to build a shop on his property. This shop allowed him to essentially work at home, and also have the space he needed to do the custom body work and paint jobs which he excels at.

Pete gave back to the local kid community as well by building drag racing lawnmowers, which the children were able to race at the Winterport Dragway. Pete received national recognition and he won a trip to Antigua from the CBS Morning Show who recognized all the things he was doing for the kids in his neighborhood. Pete is a very kind, generous guy who is always willing to helps others, as I stated earlier, he very rarely seeks help for himself.

Eight years ago, Pete was diagnosed with Aracnoiditis, which is a totally debilitating condition. Due to this disease, he has had to endure numerous operations on his hands, his wrists, and both shoulders. Despite the pain, despite the surgeries, Pete has continued to work through these years, because his hands, wrists, and shoulders are his tools to perform the work he does to earn a living. Also, due to being in a wheelchair, Pete has to always be very careful with any kind of pressure sores. Over the years, he has had some develop here and there, however with aggressive attention and care, he has been able to avoid the more serious pressure wounds. During this time period, one of Pete’s surgeries had some complications and a short 45-minute planned operation turned into several hours, which then caused him to develop a pressure sore. This sore took months to heal, during which he was given poor pain management heavy on the narcotics which then caused the need for an abdominal surgery. That recovery took months as well. Despite all of this, again Pete overcame it and got back to work doing what he loves to do.

Time for the awwww, feel good moment before we get down to the actual request. Pete met an amazing woman named Tiffany. These two hit it off and for the past four years they have been working side by side and living life as any happily married couple should. They are amazing people doing the very best they can…together.

If you have read this far, I greatly appreciate it!! Now here comes the HUGE problem!! Pete was bit by a brown recluse spider. He was not aware of the bite due to the location, and initially thought it was a small blister, possibly an early pressure sore. What was a tiny bump has turned into a gaping hand-sized necrotic wound in a very short amount of time. Pete is getting wound care treatment; however the wound is not healing because his iliac arteries are clogged. This is another condition created by his being in the chair for so long. Basically, he is not getting good blood flow through his lower body in order for the wound to heal. If this wound does not heal, Pete is going to become septic from infection and die. That is what he and Tiffany are facing…his death, after all he has overcome. The surgeon locally does not want to “unclog” the artery despite this being the only chance Pete has for wound healing. Since July, Pete has not been able to work either. He has to stay off the wound site and is now laying/sleeping in a medical bed that his friends appropriated and set up in his living room. Tiffany is watching and caring for the wound and documenting its progression. Pete has had to put the past 2 months mortgage payments on his credit card. He has over 60K of his personal money tied up in various projects that he is unable to finish due to the wound. In short, Pete is going broke fast, unable to work for one of the very rare times in his life and is staring death in the face.

Due to my medical connections, I have located a surgeon outside the country who will perform the surgery for Pete. We need cash! It is cheaper to get this done outside the country, and the cash is going to be used for Pete’s plane ticket, his surgery, and then a few weeks of recovery abroad. With any left over or extra funds, we are going to apply it to his bills which are piling up and hopefully relieve Tiffany and Pete of any concerns over massive debt. This is a man who has ALWAYS worked for himself, always worked hard, and overcame every obstacle placed upon him. He has not drained or mooched off the public system, however he has finally hit the wall and cannot do this on his own. We need YOUR help! Anything you can give, whether it be $1, $1000, or any amount in between, it will be helpful. Feel free to contact me for questions and clarifications. Together, let’s donate and get this man “back on his feet”…