Bring David Home
Donation protected
As some of you know, my father David fell ill and has been in a “home,” a facility on Oahu, as he receives medical care. He has been here for five and a half months, and I’ve been here with him. David has been moved several times because rooms in these homes are difficult to come by — although Medicaid may (hopefully) provide a portion of the cost, there is always a shortage of “beds”.
He has a rare type of leukemia, and was given a prognosis of one year (of course, these things are never definitive and anyone who knows David knows that he has a way of making himself the exception...). David has been well looked after by his caregivers, but is unhappy in his living situation because of its urban/suburban environment. Now that he’s recovered somewhat from the side effects of his chemotherapy, David talks about wanting to spend his remaining time at his home in the Maui jungle. At the moment this is impractical due to the condition of his house, its remote location and the lack of medical services and facilities.
Because of David’s limited time left, I am choosing to spend the time with him, and to make his wish come true — to bring him back home, back to the jungle, back to nature, of which he speaks so much, and in which he has spent half of his life designing and building treehouses. For this I hope to raise $75,000 to provide him with the level of care he will need and to make his house accessible, safe and clean. Infection is always a risk in that fertile and humid environment. Professional care givers are few and far between on that side of the island, so I will need funds for that, as well as for medical supplies and also for transportation to hospitals in Kahului or Honolulu for chemo and/or emergencies.
My home is in Beijing, and my wife Carol is patiently waiting for me there while I have been on Oahu these last months. On November 18, I plan to begin work on the house in Hana, Maui, and will move him there by mid January. It will take a while to make the house comfortable and safe. Once he moves I will spend time there with him.
Basically, the goal is to make this last year of David’s life more in line with his first 77. Any way that you can help with these funds would be enormously helpful. And if you know someone who might also be able to contribute, we would be deeply grateful.
Mahalo,
Jonah
Some of David's past work:
http://www.treehousesofhawaii.com/
http://www.environmentalcommunications.com
He has a rare type of leukemia, and was given a prognosis of one year (of course, these things are never definitive and anyone who knows David knows that he has a way of making himself the exception...). David has been well looked after by his caregivers, but is unhappy in his living situation because of its urban/suburban environment. Now that he’s recovered somewhat from the side effects of his chemotherapy, David talks about wanting to spend his remaining time at his home in the Maui jungle. At the moment this is impractical due to the condition of his house, its remote location and the lack of medical services and facilities.
Because of David’s limited time left, I am choosing to spend the time with him, and to make his wish come true — to bring him back home, back to the jungle, back to nature, of which he speaks so much, and in which he has spent half of his life designing and building treehouses. For this I hope to raise $75,000 to provide him with the level of care he will need and to make his house accessible, safe and clean. Infection is always a risk in that fertile and humid environment. Professional care givers are few and far between on that side of the island, so I will need funds for that, as well as for medical supplies and also for transportation to hospitals in Kahului or Honolulu for chemo and/or emergencies.
My home is in Beijing, and my wife Carol is patiently waiting for me there while I have been on Oahu these last months. On November 18, I plan to begin work on the house in Hana, Maui, and will move him there by mid January. It will take a while to make the house comfortable and safe. Once he moves I will spend time there with him.
Basically, the goal is to make this last year of David’s life more in line with his first 77. Any way that you can help with these funds would be enormously helpful. And if you know someone who might also be able to contribute, we would be deeply grateful.
Mahalo,
Jonah
Some of David's past work:
http://www.treehousesofhawaii.com/
http://www.environmentalcommunications.com
Organizer
Jonah Greenberg
Organizer
Kailua, HI