Paul Zbikowski's Medical Fund
Donation protected
This is my dad, Paul. He is the most awesome, intelligent, caring, hilarious, and self-less man I know. Over the past 22 years of my life he has kissed my boo-boos better, scared away the monsters, chauffered me around, cooked me countless meals, handed over money (even when I was a brat and probably didn't deserve it), fixed many things, helped me move way too many times, given me tons of advice, and so much more. He's my super hero, simple as that. He has done so much for me over the years and now I want to do something for him.
Over Christmas break my dad got sick. What we believed to be just the flu, actually turned out to be an infection in his foot giving him all the same symptoms. My dad was diagnosed with diabetes several years ago, which can cause numbness of the feet. He went to the hospital on Monday, January 5th, where he was admitted. Tuesday he had surgery to try and rid the infection, but it ended up not working. Unfortunately, he had to lose his foot so that his infection wouldn't continue to spread throughout his body. He will have another surgery this coming Wednesday, for a grand total of 3 surgeries, but that is much as we know at this point. This was such an unexpeced event and so shocking to all of us, but my dad, being the man he is, has remained so positive and happy. It's so inspiring to see him in such great spirits.
So far my dad has been in the hospital for a week and it is unknown as to when he will get out. What we do know, however, is that he will need to be fitted for a prosthetic and have to complete much physical therapy. Prosthetics range from $10,000-$70,000, need ongoing adjustments, and will need to be replaced several times, while physical therapy can cost anywhere between $50 and $350 per session. According to Department of Veterans Affairs, an average lifetime cost of a loss of a single leg is more than $1.4 million. This money we are collecting will go towards medical bills, prosthetics, and physical therapy.
My dad once shared a quote with me and it couldn't be more fitting than now.
"We have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace that day. We cannot change the past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way, and we cannot change the inevitable. I am convinced that life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% how I react to it."
He is a living, breathing reminder of this. Even through all this he continues to inspire me.
Thank you to all of you who have continued to keep my family in your thoughts and prayers through this difficult time for my family. Thank you to those of you who have shared this link and donated, no matter how big or how small. Every penny counts. It means more than you'll ever know.
If you'd like to send anything or visit, please contact me by clicking the mail icon beside my picture on the right.
Organizer
Kristin Marie Zbikowski
Organizer
Toccoa, GA
