Willis' Surgical Recovery and Help 4 Chairdog__

Hello,

 

My name is Willis and I am fundraising in order to supplement my income for the time I will be out of work to help with  my scheduled monthly bills, as well as eventually finding a new vehicle. This is while recovering from 10 fractures to my thoracic and cervical spine due to a MVA on 10/24. I will be out of work for a projected 3 months from my surgery, late January 2022.

 

Firstly, I am thankful to be alive and not paralyzed, I know there are many who have had similar experiences and not been as lucky. I would like to thank the first responders who rushed to my aid used the Jaws-of-Life to extricate me from the vehicle and provide emergency services and transport to the hospital. Thank you those of the doctor's and nurses who went above and beyond at Danbury Hospital to make my stay there less miserable than it could have been. The spinal fusion from my T5-T11 thoracic vertebrae was successful, but I will remain in a collar to stabilize the remaining 3 cervical fractures and be confined to my home.

 

I am also thankful that my employer graciously pays for all employees' short-term (as well as long-term) disability insurance for instances such as these, and it feels a little better now that I have a rough idea of when I will be able to return to work, although I am still unsure in what capacity. I would like to say thank you to everyone who has already donated, and give a little more information as the gofundme progresses. I originally expected my voluntary accident insurance to help with these expenses and possibly help afford a new car with the less-than-expected check from my car insurance, and created this as a last resort. I greatly appreciate the generous donations that helped us reach our initial goal so quickly. With the way gofundme is structured, it encourages fundraisers to increase their goal as a fundraiser continues to succeed. This is why, from the beginning my intention has been to find another charity which I could donate a percentage of funds over the initial goal raised. That's when I found @chairdog__ and learned more about their mission to donate, not sell, wheelchairs to dogs with mobility issues in the tri-state area (CT, NY, NJ) when the other option is euthanasia. As someone who has been struggling with mobility since my accident and surgery recovery have begun, it wasn't hard for me to help them come up with a new slogan, "You wouldn't put down any other member of your family when all they needed is a wheelchair, right?" 

Our initial goal was to raise $2,500. We have now broken over $5,000 and this allows for a donation (after fees which I will incur on my end) of $625 to an organization that is truly non-profit. After updating this portion of the gofundme page I will be sharing another video update on my condition tomorrow as well as more information about @chairdog__ and the great work they're doing (as well as just how MUCH we can help if this fundraiser keeps it momentum. Anything over $10,000 will be a 50% donation to this amazing organization. Thank you for continuing to donate and share our fundraiser to reach a broader audience.