Bring Mighty Mike Henry Home
Donation protected
My dear friend and coworker, Evelyn, was vacationing in Lake George over the 4th of July weekend with her fiancé, Mike Henry, and another couple. They rode their motorcycles there that weekend (Mike is a Navy Veteran and has been riding motorcycles for his entire adult life) and during a Sunday morning ride in Vermont, Mike's motorcycle skidded out on some gravel. Evelyn was pitched off the back of the bike head first into a tree, injured her wrist and had the wind knocked out of her. Mike was not as fortunate. He fractured his C-4 vertebrae, a complete and devastating fracture. After emergency surgery to fuse C-3 and C-4, Mike thankfully survived but is now a quadriplegic. He spent almost 6 weeks at Helen Hayes receiving intense PT and OT, and was then transferred to the VA Hospital in the Bronx where they have a Spinal Cord Injury Unit. He remains there today.
Evelyn is devoted to Mike and she is the ultimate superhero. She travels back and forth from their home in Highland Falls to work in Bardonia, and then to the Bronx after work where she remains until Mike's bedtime. She then drives back home from the Bronx to Highland Falls, often after midnight. She does this every single day, without fail, feeding him, brushing his teeth, bathing him, and doing everything in her power to assist him. Mike is advised that he has reached the goals they had for him regarding therapy, and he remains paralyzed from his chest down. Fortunately, he is able to swallow and breathe on his own, he can move his head, and has extremely limited movement in part of his right arm. He will require 24 hour assistance for the rest of his life. While his body might not be the same, his devilish sense of humor hasn't dimmed a bit, and he's especially bright on football Sundays when his bowling buddies and friends come to watch the games with him. Next to Evelyn, those times keep his smiles coming in an otherwise dark and awful situation. It is time for Mike to come home.
Unfortunately, their little house in Highland Falls requires significant modifications in order to allow Mike to live there with Evelyn, comfortably and safely. The VA covers only the costs of his durable equipment (lift, heuer lift in the ceiling to help transfer him from bed to his wheelchair, and his wheelchair which he operates with a head array in the headrest). The physical modifications to the home are costly as you might imagine - just paying the base bills for the home has become a massive struggle with the loss of Mike's income, and overwhelming medical expenses. This is where we all come in.
The estimate for base modification to the home is approximately $50,000.00, without fixtures, trim, paint, etc. On top of that, Mike will require a specialized vehicle so that he can be safely transported to and from his medical appointments and physical therapy, etc., while in his wheelchair. A vehicle could cost anywhere from $35,000.00 - $50,000.00 and will need to be retrofitted to his needs.
In case you've never met him, Mike is a great guy, a proud Navy Veteran, devoted father, grandfather and friend. Evelyn is nothing short of an angel who is dedicated to his care, often tackling much of it herself. Getting Mike home and back to his life and their life together is her ultimate priority, but she cannot do it alone. With our help, together, we can bring Mighty Mike home and back to his beloved Evelyn, friends and family.
Please consider making a donation to help make this possible, and please share this with your friends and family - miracles happen all the time, and often they're brought by a community of angels, disguised as ordinary people like us. I know in my heart of hearts that Mighty Mike would be the first one on line to help if it was for somebody else - he's that kind of guy. Thank you for your consideration - every little bit helps!
Evelyn is devoted to Mike and she is the ultimate superhero. She travels back and forth from their home in Highland Falls to work in Bardonia, and then to the Bronx after work where she remains until Mike's bedtime. She then drives back home from the Bronx to Highland Falls, often after midnight. She does this every single day, without fail, feeding him, brushing his teeth, bathing him, and doing everything in her power to assist him. Mike is advised that he has reached the goals they had for him regarding therapy, and he remains paralyzed from his chest down. Fortunately, he is able to swallow and breathe on his own, he can move his head, and has extremely limited movement in part of his right arm. He will require 24 hour assistance for the rest of his life. While his body might not be the same, his devilish sense of humor hasn't dimmed a bit, and he's especially bright on football Sundays when his bowling buddies and friends come to watch the games with him. Next to Evelyn, those times keep his smiles coming in an otherwise dark and awful situation. It is time for Mike to come home.
Unfortunately, their little house in Highland Falls requires significant modifications in order to allow Mike to live there with Evelyn, comfortably and safely. The VA covers only the costs of his durable equipment (lift, heuer lift in the ceiling to help transfer him from bed to his wheelchair, and his wheelchair which he operates with a head array in the headrest). The physical modifications to the home are costly as you might imagine - just paying the base bills for the home has become a massive struggle with the loss of Mike's income, and overwhelming medical expenses. This is where we all come in.
The estimate for base modification to the home is approximately $50,000.00, without fixtures, trim, paint, etc. On top of that, Mike will require a specialized vehicle so that he can be safely transported to and from his medical appointments and physical therapy, etc., while in his wheelchair. A vehicle could cost anywhere from $35,000.00 - $50,000.00 and will need to be retrofitted to his needs.
In case you've never met him, Mike is a great guy, a proud Navy Veteran, devoted father, grandfather and friend. Evelyn is nothing short of an angel who is dedicated to his care, often tackling much of it herself. Getting Mike home and back to his life and their life together is her ultimate priority, but she cannot do it alone. With our help, together, we can bring Mighty Mike home and back to his beloved Evelyn, friends and family.
Please consider making a donation to help make this possible, and please share this with your friends and family - miracles happen all the time, and often they're brought by a community of angels, disguised as ordinary people like us. I know in my heart of hearts that Mighty Mike would be the first one on line to help if it was for somebody else - he's that kind of guy. Thank you for your consideration - every little bit helps!
Organizer and beneficiary
Jeannie Hackett Downes
Organizer
Pearl River, NY
Michael R Henry
Beneficiary