Greetings everyone! My name is Abra Davis and I'm about to tell you why I am creating this fundraising campaign for my husband, Kermit Davis. Creating this fundraising campaign wasn't an easy thing for me to do. To publicly lay bare all of the the weaknesses, fears, and frustrations that we have right now is very, very intimidating and a bit frightening. I am also so ashamed of myself for not being financially able to provide Kermit with the proper in-home care he rightly deserves and needs. To admit this publicly and to myself is a very humbling experience. 

A whole lot has happened to Kermit in the past several months. I'm going to try to explain the best I can without leaving out the important parts. 

This past June, Kermit fell at home. What I thought would be not that bad of a fall was,THAT BAD of a fall!! Fast forward a little...after many hours of waiting and praying and then more waiting and praying we were finally told that Kermit suffered an extreme SCI, spinal cord injury! Wait, what did he just say?! I was stunned into some sort of paralysis. I had the trauma doctor tell me again, in layman's term, of course, so I could better understand. And, to my horror, he did...he explained it to me and it was bad, very bad. Not even 24 hours before, Kermit was up, moving around and doing totally normal things. His life as he knew it to be ceased to exist the second he fell. 

The options we were given were 

#1 NOT to have the surgery, a posterior laminectomy, with the expectation of never being able to walk again and having little to no movement from the neck down. Or, #2 Have the surgery with the expectation of MAYBE, but NOT LIKELY, never being able to walk again and having a slight possibility of regaining SOME movement from the neck down!! Yeah, the two choices were not what I wanted to hear. How am I going to tell my husband he may never be able to walk again and may never be able to move anything below his neck even if he DID have the surgery?! I couldn't tell him...I was too much of a coward, a chicken-sh*t coward! The trauma doctor explained it again, this time to both of us. Kermit already knew that the damage that was done was extreme. He had little to no feeling in either leg right after he fell. Kermit took the news way better than I expected. Maybe it was because of the drugs he was given, I'm not sure. His demeanor was too calm and a whole lot of scary! He was definitely clashing heavily with my "holy sh*t, what just happened" state of mind! I waited for him to breakdown, to scream, maybe even shout out a few bad words...but, he didn't and I was left with the intense feeling of needing to scream and to just run away!! 

It was imperative that he have surgery ASAP. So, the surgery was scheduled for the next morning...a little less than 24 hours after he fell. 

Great news was not presented to us after his surgery. The surgeon spoke with me afterwards and his exact words were, "he will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life". I felt like that doctor slapped the sh*t out of me! I wanted to fold myself into a small, tight square and have someone put me in their back pocket and get me the hell out of that damn hospital. 

Kermit spent 40 miserable, suffocating plus days in the Trauma ICU. He was scared to death, I later found out. He tends to keep his emotions at bay. Not me!! Towards the end of those 40 plus days we were told that Kermit is now considered an incomplete quadriplegic! Yes! An incomplete quadriplegic. This means he has partial paralysis in his muscles below the neck. This happens when some, but not all, signals of movement are blocked from reaching his brain. He has feeling in all 4 limbs but this does not mean he can walk, nor be as independent and as active as he was before he fell. I'm having to be super-realistic about this. It's hard, of course, but I cannot steer myself away from the fact that in all liklihood Kermit will never be able to walk again. But, I am hopeful and I do pray everyday for a miracle. My faith and realism sometimes fight each other in my head and this is when I pray. 

After many attempts to get an approval for rehabilitation, it finally happened. Kermit went to Touro Infirmary located in New Orleans. While there, he encountered a few obstacles but was impressively able to overcome them. I am happy and proud to say that he has made exceptional progress in rehab. These are the words of his many doctors and therapists, not mine. Plus, the family and I have witnessed his progress. With continued therapy, physical and occupational, Kermit will be able to regain more of his mobility above the waist and more Independence than he has right now. I do believe Kermit surprised us all by being so dedicated and determined to get back any and all mobility that he possibly can, and you know what? He will, he can absolutely do this! 

Here is why I humbly ask for your help. Due to his insurance (Managed Medicare) having certain policies regarding how long a person can stay in a rehab facility, Kermit is beging discharged from rehab and coming home Friday, September 6th...in less than a week! We are totally unprepared for his homecoming! This was such an abrupt decision that has left us all dumbfounded and outraged. At Home, Kermit will require 24/7 care. He will also need to be able to get in and out of our home with ease. As of right this second, the majority of this is unattainable and terrifyingly out of our reach. Kermit doesn't qualify for the resources that would help with the expense most of this will cost. If any one of you are familiar with managed Medicare, SSDI, SSI, and Medicaid, you understand what I'm talking about. It's a horrific, gut-wrenching feeling to be told, no..he doesn't qualify. But, there are grants and resources that he does qualify for. But, they do not immediately help financially nor are some resources immediately available to Kermit. I have applied for every SCI grant the state of Alabama has and to every program that is, and will be, available to him at a later date. Kermit going to a nursing home is not an option we dare consider. Why? Because he would not receive continuing physical and occupational therapy at a nursing home. Every doctor and therapist we have talked to in the past 4 weeks he's been in rehab all say the same thing: the continuation of PT &amp; OT is mandatory if what he wants is to regain mobility and become more independent. Yes!! That is what we ALL want, including Kermit!! We want him to be able to come home and continue to thrive and have a much better quality of life. He is just as alert, aware, and active as he was before his fall. If he were to be put into a nursing home for any amount of time, I know for a fact that he would lose every bit of strength and perseverance he gained in rehab. He would get stuck there and he would never be able to come back home. Something better is going to happen for him in the future, I know it will. But, until then I'm asking ever so humbly for your help in our effort to keep Kermit at home for as long as it takes. 

Most important of all, please, please keep Kermit in your daily thoughts and prayers. No matter the outcome of this fundraising campaign, Kermit will need any and all prayers he can get. 

Any donation amount is greatly appreciated and graciously accepted and will strictly go towards 24/7 care and any home modifications that are needed right now. If you're unable to donate, I completely understand but if you would, please consider sharing Kermit's fundraising campaign to your social media. I thank you all for taking the time to read about our fundraising commitment to KEEP KERMIT AT HOME. Again, thank you all and God Bless! 
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Jessica Deal

bryan bernard

Cynthia Alvarado

Bethany Douglas

jennifer hicks

Sharon W. Hernandez

Tammy Dewberry

Carla Miller

Danielle Daszczuk

Melanie Baxter

In Memory of Julius Davis

Avis Carter

Lisa Turner

Debra Porges

Sue Colvert

Dorothy Slayden

Tracy Gray

Help Support Our Effort to Keep Kermit @ Home!!!

Help Support Our Effort to Keep Kermit @ Home!!!

Still $3,345 to go. Help us build momentum.