A Day Late…and still a few dollars short!

Honoring the many veterans for the FREEDOMs we enjoy every day…

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME! Let’s help get Richard and Peggy Bares there!

Galatians 6:2: "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way

you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Approximately 7 weeks ago, Richard Bares (Dick) finally weaned himself off the ventilator. He has worked tirelessly to gain strength in his arms, legs and trunk. He is still unable to stand or walk. He is eating real food again, though still needing to be fed due to the inability to use his fingers functionally quite yet. Discharge planning includes a move to a facility closer to home for continued rehab to get stronger, with the ultimate goal of bringing him home.

Naïve to the fact that one “runs out” of insurance days with a long term illness, Richard (Dick) has been out of insurance benefits for this condition since February, and they have been burning through their savings to pay the 28k/month for his care for the last many months. Attempts to get help through the VA have been unsuccessful. The medical airflight that was paid for by their insurance for his trip out to Provo due to medical necessity was approximately 65k. This is not an option for the trip home as the insurance is no longer covering, and the trip home is deemed “not medically necessary”.  After many prayers and untold hours of searching for options to safely get them back home, Dick’s family has secured a plane (at their own expense) that would allow transport from Provo Utah, directly to the rehab facility in Crookston, MN, where he will continue work to get stronger before heading home to Grand Forks.

For any who don’t know his story, here is some background:

Richard (Dick), husband of 55 years, father of 3 girls, grandfather of 8, great grandfather of 1, Vietnam Navy Veteran, UND alumni, and longtime Grand Forks resident, was always active and walked up to 2 miles/day to stay healthy and keep his body in shape. He still changed his own oil in their cars, cleaned his gutters, mowed his lawn, and moved his snow. He loves the outdoors, nature and a beautiful sunset. A man of faith, with a great love of his country and especially of his family. June 2024, Dick came down with a respiratory virus…a cold. He got better, but about 3 weeks later, his legs wouldn’t support him as he tried to stand. He felt weak and unwell. His family insisted that he go to the ER as the symptoms progressed. He was misdiagnosed as a possible TIA and released. At home, his symptoms continued to worsen through the week, to the point that he could no longer stand on his own. At the insistence of the family, he returned to ER, and a day later, was finally diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome. Treatment was started, but the initial onslaught of damage was done. Over the next 3 weeks, he became completely paralyzed from the neck down. His respiratory muscles failed, and he sustained a cardiac arrest. He was resuscitated and placed on a ventilator on August 5th, 2024….hospitalized in the ICU at Sanford Hospital in Fargo, ND, where he would remain for the next 4 months.  These months were a roller coaster of ups and downs with much uncertainty for the future…he was unable to speak due to the ventilator, and truly fighting for survival every step of the way. Peggy slept on a hard small couch beside him all of those months, using her nursing background to help navigate the constant barrage of medical decisions and assist with his cares. After 4 months at Sanford, it was determined that he was no longer “acute” (though still completely paralyzed and ventilator dependent),and with one day’s notice, their lives packed into one dufflebag, they loaded him onto a medical plane and sent them to Provo Rehab and Nursing facility in Provo, Utah. Richard Bares (Dick) and his wife,Peggy, got to Utah right before Thanksgiving. The transition was a challenge for both of them…over a thousand miles from their family and friends, they were completely alone. 

It has been 15 months since Dick and Peggy were in their home in Grand Forks. Dick’s faith, his love of life, his love of his wife and family, have kept him going for all of these months. We are so close to being able to get them home! We are so grateful for the love and support that we have received from family, friends and strangers. Thank you for allowing us to share Richard Bares’ story.