Life Saving Care for Bill "Tree" Lawson

My name is Leslye Lawson and I am raising funds to help my father Bill Lawson with insurmountable medical and long term care costs to maintain his quality of life.

On September 13 daddy was admitted to Reston Hospital in severe Congestive Heart Failure. Doctor's were unable to stabilize his heart rhythm through IV medications and on September 16 he underwent heart surgery, which appeared to be successful, and we thought he was going to come home.

Over the next 3 days, dad took a turn a huge turn for the worse. His kidneys could not handle the medications needed to save his heart. He went from being able to walk to completely bedbound in 72 hours.

Now in a fight to save his kidneys, the doctors took him off all all the medications to protect his heart and re-introduced fluids. Daddy continued to decline, his blood pressure consistently approaching dangerously low numbers and even with 7 liters of oxygen, he could hardly breath. His spirit began to wain. For those of you who know my dad, he is the most optimistic person ever. To watch those "rose colored glasses" fall to the wayside was unbearable. He stopped eating and could barely speak.

On September 25 his kidneys finally gave out and he went on emergency dialysis.

He is currently still in the hospital and is total care. We are taking it one day at a time, trying to balance keeping both his kidneys and his heart functioning. He is still unable to go back on his heart medications. His vitals are checked constantly and each day we pray his heart will hold out while he goes through endless dialysis.

We are prayerful and hopeful that he will recover and some day come home however we are accepting that he may require skilled nursing for the rest of his life.

It is is going to be a long road to recovery and we are not equipped for the costs of long term care.

After the 30 days covered by insurance, Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation long term care is upwards of $13,000 per month.

Daddy does not want to live in a nursing home and our family home is not safe for him to return to, should he one day be able. We will never be able to bring him home without a complete basement level ADA Shower/Bathroom/ Ramps/ stair chair lift Renovation estimated at $30,000+.

At 6'10", daddy is too large for regular hospital beds, wheelchairs and other assisted devices. The cost of a hospital bed alone to fit his care needs is upwards of $8,000.

Daddy will be on dialysis indefinitely. He has to have treatment 3 days a week and the cost to medically transport him, whether in a skilled nursing facility or at home, is $100 per trip/ $1,200 per month.

If he does recover enough to come home after skilled nursing & rehab, and we are able to renovate to be ADA compliant, his home health care could be anywhere between $7,200 to $16,000 per month.

Derrick, my brother, and I have started to navigate all avenues of government assistance without selling the family home as I have been living with dad as caretaker for the past 7 years.

Bill "aka Papa Lawson" needs your help to have the best medical care and to live with dignity.

My dad has been there for so many over the course of his life, I'm hopeful if you have been blessed to be one of them that you will please contribute to support him in his time of need.

We thank you and God bless you.

-The Lawson Family