Love & Support One Step at A Time for Bryan
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This sweet little boy is Bryan. He’s 11 years old, he was born at 28 weeks a preemie and was diagnosed with lung disease and Cerebral Palsy which effected his legs. He is also my nephew. For over a decade his parents (my niece), 2 older brothers, grandparents (my sister), and aunts have all taken care of Bryan by hand carrying him in and out of their homes, into the school bus, to hospital visits and in and out of cars by picking him up and carrying him around. With relief they used strollers then graduated to a special wheelchair which must be loaded and unloaded as well. His parents also were able to get a walker that he used for walking around the house. Even with all of this it was getting more and more difficult to help him as he wanted to explore as any young boy would.
A couple of years ago when he was 9 years old, he was accepted into the Pediatric Movement Disorders for Motion Analysis Study for Legs where doctors use interactive technologies to evaluate gait (walking patterns), such as stair climbing, along with other motions to try and correct his walking, he underwent an extensive surgery which lasted over 8 hours. The surgery was a HUGE success!! He took a few steps on his own and started walking longer distances without falling whereas before he needed assisted to do so but he did it, nonetheless. The road to recovery looked promising!
Just recently, he told his mom that he could feel the plates and screws in his legs so on 9/30/2020 he went under an emergency hardware removal surgery, at which time the operating surgeon wasn’t able to remove 1 of the screws, the surgeon decided that in order to get it out they had to cut a larger hole in the bone which would hinder the bone growth, so the surgeon decided that it would have to be left in there for now. Less than 9 days later he started to complain about excruciating pain, his mom took him to the ER on 10/08/2020, he told the doctor that he couldn’t put weight on his legs at all, he also developed a fever of 101. The ER team did an outstanding job by checking him out completely by requesting an ultrasound & X-Ray and found fluid under the incision. The infection was too great of a risk for them to operate on, so they flew him down to Phoenix Children’s Hospital right away, his parents were not allowed to accompany him due to the COVID virus. His parents drove 4.5 hours through the night to be with him. He underwent through surgery the next day where they had to go back into the incision and clean out the infection. During surgery they also discovered he had bone infection. He had to stay in the hospital for the week taking antibiotics for his infection and fever. He was released after 7 days, he is now on antibiotics for 6 weeks, sadly, they were not able to take the screw out again because of the infection so they left it in there until it heals completely. It is now, more than ever, vital that he stays consistent with his healing process because he has a long way to go on this journey and now, he will rely predominately on his wheelchair again.
His parents were told by a team of doctors that he will need extensive care at home with daily physical therapy, and getting his medication monitored by a visiting nurse instead of being at a health care facility due to COVID-19 which continues to spread and effect our everyday lives. The doctor advises the parents that an electric bed is needed and running water. This is where we need your help. Unfortunately, getting both electricity and running water is expensive as most things that are absolutely necessary are.
With both connections are adding up to $15,000, and with one of the only contractors in the area, they were quoted for the septic tank to be installed at $10,000 alone which includes all the materials and labor. They used most of their savings to put down $8,500 towards getting their home hooked up with electricity through NTUA (Navajo Tribal Utility Authority) the only electricity company on the reservation yet, they are still needing additional monies for the hook up.
In addition to lost wages by caring for him, Bryan’s parents now have a number of medical bills, trauma therapy needs, appointments, daily prescriptions, and disability service needs that are adding up quickly. We are establishing this fund to help us navigate the endless bills and devastation this has caused Bryan’s family. Bryan's road to recovery is just beginning and we appreciate all of you who want to help us help him.
Please prayerfully consider making a donation for this critical next step in Bryan’s recovery. If you would like to donate to the family directly to avoid fees, feel free to contact my niece Caroleen George or myself for other options. Any amount helps, we will also be doing some fund-raising events as well.
If you have any specific questions or advice for our family, you can contact me through Go Fund Me message.
If you would prefer to donate outside of Go Fund Me, there are a few options:
You can send a donation to my Venmo handle, @Shella -Tesyatoh-43. If you use Zelle, you can send a donation to Caroleen’s account please reach out to us for account information.
If you are old school, or simply enjoy writing checks, you can make checks out to “Caroleen George” and send them to this address:
Caroleen George - PO BOX #238 Tonalea, AZ 86044
Blessing for all, I am inspired by hope - our sincerest thanks for your prayers and support.
Ahéheeʼ nitsaago / Thank you so much!
A couple of years ago when he was 9 years old, he was accepted into the Pediatric Movement Disorders for Motion Analysis Study for Legs where doctors use interactive technologies to evaluate gait (walking patterns), such as stair climbing, along with other motions to try and correct his walking, he underwent an extensive surgery which lasted over 8 hours. The surgery was a HUGE success!! He took a few steps on his own and started walking longer distances without falling whereas before he needed assisted to do so but he did it, nonetheless. The road to recovery looked promising!
Just recently, he told his mom that he could feel the plates and screws in his legs so on 9/30/2020 he went under an emergency hardware removal surgery, at which time the operating surgeon wasn’t able to remove 1 of the screws, the surgeon decided that in order to get it out they had to cut a larger hole in the bone which would hinder the bone growth, so the surgeon decided that it would have to be left in there for now. Less than 9 days later he started to complain about excruciating pain, his mom took him to the ER on 10/08/2020, he told the doctor that he couldn’t put weight on his legs at all, he also developed a fever of 101. The ER team did an outstanding job by checking him out completely by requesting an ultrasound & X-Ray and found fluid under the incision. The infection was too great of a risk for them to operate on, so they flew him down to Phoenix Children’s Hospital right away, his parents were not allowed to accompany him due to the COVID virus. His parents drove 4.5 hours through the night to be with him. He underwent through surgery the next day where they had to go back into the incision and clean out the infection. During surgery they also discovered he had bone infection. He had to stay in the hospital for the week taking antibiotics for his infection and fever. He was released after 7 days, he is now on antibiotics for 6 weeks, sadly, they were not able to take the screw out again because of the infection so they left it in there until it heals completely. It is now, more than ever, vital that he stays consistent with his healing process because he has a long way to go on this journey and now, he will rely predominately on his wheelchair again.
His parents were told by a team of doctors that he will need extensive care at home with daily physical therapy, and getting his medication monitored by a visiting nurse instead of being at a health care facility due to COVID-19 which continues to spread and effect our everyday lives. The doctor advises the parents that an electric bed is needed and running water. This is where we need your help. Unfortunately, getting both electricity and running water is expensive as most things that are absolutely necessary are.
With both connections are adding up to $15,000, and with one of the only contractors in the area, they were quoted for the septic tank to be installed at $10,000 alone which includes all the materials and labor. They used most of their savings to put down $8,500 towards getting their home hooked up with electricity through NTUA (Navajo Tribal Utility Authority) the only electricity company on the reservation yet, they are still needing additional monies for the hook up.
In addition to lost wages by caring for him, Bryan’s parents now have a number of medical bills, trauma therapy needs, appointments, daily prescriptions, and disability service needs that are adding up quickly. We are establishing this fund to help us navigate the endless bills and devastation this has caused Bryan’s family. Bryan's road to recovery is just beginning and we appreciate all of you who want to help us help him.
Please prayerfully consider making a donation for this critical next step in Bryan’s recovery. If you would like to donate to the family directly to avoid fees, feel free to contact my niece Caroleen George or myself for other options. Any amount helps, we will also be doing some fund-raising events as well.
If you have any specific questions or advice for our family, you can contact me through Go Fund Me message.
If you would prefer to donate outside of Go Fund Me, there are a few options:
You can send a donation to my Venmo handle, @Shella -Tesyatoh-43. If you use Zelle, you can send a donation to Caroleen’s account please reach out to us for account information.
If you are old school, or simply enjoy writing checks, you can make checks out to “Caroleen George” and send them to this address:
Caroleen George - PO BOX #238 Tonalea, AZ 86044
Blessing for all, I am inspired by hope - our sincerest thanks for your prayers and support.
Ahéheeʼ nitsaago / Thank you so much!
Organiser
Shella Watkins
Organiser
Flagstaff, AZ
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