Let's Get Roger Back on His Feet!

On February 4th Roger's life and health took a turn. On that Friday morning, little did we know it wouldn't be until September when he would return home. Unfortunately, Rogers's stay at home was interrupted and in addition to Guillain-Barre Syndrome has been diagnosed with heart failure and, in the next 6-12 months, will require an aortic heart valve replacement.

So many people have reached out to Roger and his family with support. The visits, cards, social media comments, and CaringBridge responses have been vital.

GBS presents many challenges. He is back home in Vernon Hills and has begun outpatient physical and occupational therapy at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Arlington Heights.

We want to get dad back on his feet and take all the STEPS to regain his independence, mobility and strength. This is critical and vital for his HEART health and for being a strong candidate for the TAVR heart valve replacement procedure.

Patrick and I are posting this GoFundMe on behalf of our parents. So many amazing people have crossed paths with our dad and our family, and we are grateful and appreciative. The reality of what is ahead for my dad is a lot of hard and painful work toward walking. It also comes with large expenses. We've learned a lot about home healthcare and the reality of dad using a wheelchair. To ensure he is not a fall risk and to make sure he doesn't land back in the hospital, we have caretakers 24/7 and the need for roundtrip transportation in a non-emergency handicap-accessible vehicle three days a week to Shirley Ryan.

The cost is high, and Patrick and I want to elevate some of the financial burdens by asking others to help. I'm certain Roger will have something to say about this, yet I (Erin) will gladly take any rumbling from Dad about this. To give everyone an idea, the cost of 1 week to and from Shirley Ryan is $600. Caretaking per week is $2450. What I mentioned doesn't even include past medical bills from the past year. Our goal is that with extensive therapy, Dad will be able to get in and out of a standard SUV, negating the need for non-emergency medical transportation and reducing the need for caretaking. We know he wants this too, and it can often take GBS patients over 12 months to regain the ability to walk.

We want to get Roger back on his feet, back out and about in his beloved Vernon Hills, at the sidelines and activities of his four grandkids. We would love nothing more for him to be back on the VH Parade Route and Stage at the 2023 Summer Celebration welcoming the crowds and counting down the fireworks. Every passing day we count our blessings to have Roger with us, and we thank those in advance who consider any amount. It's helpful and reminds my mom and dad many, many people love and support them and want to help ease the burden of the past year.