Joe's medical/monthly bills

In December my father had been admitted for acute pancreatitis. My father had spent the next sixteen days in a local hospital. My family had spent the Christmas and brought in the new year in this hospital room. When he finally was released he had to go straight back to work. He did this because without his checks weekly it is impossible for my family to keep our lights on let alone a roof over our head. He had started to get better and we were able to some what be financially okay. Yet as most know life likes to throw curve balls. In March he began to get sick again. He was admitted back into the local hospital for another week. During this stay he had his gallbladder removed and found that it was full of stones. Being released again he had started to get better. Until he wasn't again. My father had started to turn yellow and I mean Yellow.

We took him back to the hospital where they had found that his Billirubbon was an 8 which for a normal person should only be a 2. The doctors had told us that he was not sick enough to be admitted and had to go home. After a fight, we agreed and went home. We returned after a week to find his numbers doubled. After a couple procedures, they had found a blockage in his bile duct. The local hospital could not do a procedure to place a stent in his duct in the hopes to help the blockage move.  The University of Michigan hospital could do this procedure but did not have a bed for my dad. We waited what seemed like a long time but was four days before he was finally transferred to the UofM hospital via ambulance. Things finally seemed like he would be able to come home soon healthy. He was taken into surgery the next day, they had found another issue while in there and had to place an additional stent in the pancreatic duct as well to help flow. He seemed to get better and was able to come home. We had been in and out of UofM trying to bring his numbers down that had gotten as high as 33. He had gotten worse again and they advised my mom to drive him to the UofM hospital to be seen. His numbers were too high and were getting worse. That night he had an episode that resembled a seizure, it was bad enough to have the doctors thought he was going septic... He was taken by men for emergency surgery.  To help bring his numbers down they had placed a drain through his liver and into his biliary tree. This pumps out the bile that is getting caught in his duct.  My mom had stayed the next seven days with my father in the ICU. he was finally released and able to come home again. He was sent home with a pick line in his arm where he would receive antibiotics through his IV twice a day for two hours each. My mother had to come home early and stay later at work to come home to do this for my dad. We had a nurse who would see him twice a week. Since then my father has spent countless days/weeks in a hospital that is over two hours away from home and unable to drive himself leaving my mom to take more time off work. So far my dad has had 11 procedures and more down the road. It has become hard if not impossible for my father to take the time to heal because we need his checks. We have tried to get short term disability leave but was unable to, we have run out of time off and any paid or nonpaid vacation time. We have cut bills that are not a necessity for us and are trying to work more hours when we are not in a hospital, But it is hard to get week to week and keep my fathers health in the right direction. To be able to get this money it would give my father time to actually rest and stay home like the doctors would like. It would be able to give my parents and I a sense of peace knowing we can go to sleep without having to worry about tomorrow. I know times are hard for others as well and if you can not give money a hand is always welcomed. Whether that is offering to watch our animals while we are at hospitals or helping with the yard maintenance. Anything helps us and is more than appreciated. The money will be used for the bills that seem to be chasing us or for food for our family. Thank you for your time and hearing my families story.