Marty's Journey With CIDP

If you know Marty, he’s the life of the party. Marty has always been known as Party Marty and will stop at nothing to make you laugh, smile, and feel good. One of four siblings, Marty has always worked hard for everything in life. He is an electrical contractor, professional clock repairer, and he is my father. 

Hi, my name is Alex and I am Marty’s only daughter. I am a first generation college student just finishing up my last semester in obtaining my Bachelors of Art in Psychology. I soon hope to become a family therapist. But life decided to take me on a different route this year; I am now a full time student, part time administrative assistant, and full time caregiver to my father along with my mother.

Over the past 30 years of life, my dad has lived with Type 2 diabetes. It was not until August of 2019 was my dad diagnosed with Drop Foot, a pinching of the spinal nerves affecting his ability to walk. My dad has also lived with neuropathy; peripheral damage to his nerves, outside of the brain, and spinal cord which causes him pain, numbness, and tingling. No matter what though, my dad has always been a fighter and a survivor.

A son to a survivor of the Mauthausen concentration camp and a son to a mother who died of a rare disease at 53 years old, my father has experienced life at a young age. From the age of 13, my father has worked in the electrical field and at his parent's lighting store in Cincinnati Ohio. He has worked every day of his life and knows what it's like to earn every penny. Though life has recently changed for him and he has not been a working man since the beginning of this year.

In February of 2020, my father went in for quadruple bypass surgery to unclog his four arteries of his heart. This surgery altered my family’s life in an unexpected way that would change our lives forever. We are now in the month of August and it has been 6 months since my father has not been able to walk, use his hands, or take care of himself in any basic way. 

My father was diagnosed with CIDP, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, a rare autoimmune disorder causing him pain in his legs, feet, hands, and abdomen. There is no cure for this disease and he will live with this for the rest of his life. He went from an active hardworking individual to now being in a wheelchair turning to his wife and daughter for help in every way possible. My father WAS a six foot two, two hundred and thirty pound walking man to NOW a six foot two, one hundred and fifty-five pound man living with chronic and ongoing CIDP pain.

I cannot even begin to tell you the amount of pain and heartache my family has been in. But that’s not what matters. What matters is every second you have here on earth. What I have learned from my father’s journey is that nothing is guaranteed in life. You have to live every moment to its fullest because in a blink of an eye your life can turn upside down. Never in a million years would I think to be writing for my family’s help and aid. Life is precious and sacred. We should be grateful for every second we have because time is a gift that can expire at any minute. Waking up and being able to walk is a gift in it of itself that many of us take for granted. My family is not mad, we just want everyone to realize how precious life really is! 


This is where we need your help! Due to COVID-19 and my father’s inability to work we are asking for help in any way possible. We are raising money and awareness for my father’s chronic CIDP condition to help him pay off medical expenses, living expenses, and treatment. One of his main treatments to stabilize his pain is IVIG therapy which will be monthly for my father and has not been approved by our insurance.  My father has been hospitalized 5 times since February of 2020 and we are in need of help covering his past, current, and future medical bills that will be used to treat his CIDP, diabetes, and spinal nerve damage. Please donate in any way you can as we understand that COVID-19 has had an impact on everyone. Thank you for your time in reading this post. Always stay safe.

To learn more on CIPD, please visit:
https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/chronic-inflammatory-demyelinating-polyneuropathy/




Thank you,

Alex