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#Never Give Up Hope!! Debbie Smith

Hi Everyone,  
We all have that one friend who is always there for you, no matter what. There the selfless person who just shows up time & time  again, and expects nothing in return.
 Debbie Smith is that friend to me, I have known Debbie and have been friends for over 30 years. Debbie owned and operated Business Accounting & Tax Consultants in Milford, Ma. for 30 years until the end of last year. I always knew that my friend was exceptionally smart, as I was also one of her 300 plus clients as well. She has a very brilliant mind, her ability to retain information from year to year never ceased to amaze me. She was the true definition of strong, smart, women entreprenuer, who helped so many of us start and retain many businesses throughout her career. Debbie's knowledge of the many diversified businesses were simply amazing, from gas stations to florists and in between. She gave so much of herself above and beyond the normal accountant to client relationship. She treated the Mom & Pop the same as the large corporations. We weren't just her clients, we were Debs extended family and friends to her. She gave with her knowledge, her time, but mostly with her heart and soul.
 My name is Darlene Papalardo and I wanted to try to in some  way to reach out to her many friends, clients, and families. Debbie & her husband of close to 40 plus years Rick would never ask anyone for anything. I have had many people ask " what can we do to help"  well there's alot of things Debbie will need in this fight for her life !!
Last year Debbie started having some really bad muscular issues, we went to alot of doctors trying to figure out what was going on. Finally we went to Boston to a neuromuscular doctor, as Debbie was getting worse & still no answers. In January of last year she was given the Horrific news of an ALS diagnosis. There are no words that could possibly describe the feelings & emotions in that room when my dear friend Debbie sat beside me and said is that the disease that there doing the Ice Bucket Challenge  for!!. Oh my god this isn't happening is all that was running thru my head & then I remembered a quote my Dad always said "until you walk in a man's shoes" I thought what was Debbies process of this ..my poor friend... WHY..  she is such a great person, such a great friend, this is so unfair.
Debbie being the selfless person she is says" what are my clients going to do" needless to say this great friend pushed on, she  got a chairlift put in at her office, she endured a horrible fall during tax season last year, she pushed on, went thru grueling physical therapy after the fall that required surgery. She pushed on, got everyone thru tax season 2016.
Now Debbie is home she had to close her office it was getting physically harder and harder for her to get to the office. She could of sold her business but thats not debbie, she interviewed numerous accountants all she wanted was her clients to be taken care of to Debbie standards, that was a huge challenge. But debbie pushed on, she found someone for all of us if we chose to. It was never about what debbie could financially gain it  was her integrity & commitment to finding someone to take care of her clients needs only.
Now debbies facing another challenge not only ALS , but she has been dignosed with acute lyme disease. Which requires her to have long term antibiotics both orally & thru intravenous IV. We have hit a wall  the Insurance is covering the oral antibiotics but not the IV treatments that Debbie desperately needs, which cost up to a couple thousand dollars per month. Debbie  &  Rick have paid out over five thousand out of pocket to date.The Mass House & Senate  passed Mass House Bill H-901 with MGL chapter 112dd, 175-47DD and EE and 176A Amended, along with Governor Baker's Vetoing the attempts to further limiting the use of the extended antibiotics treatments back on August 2016
Why is the Insurance Co. being allowed to refuse treatments !!!!
Debbie's needs are extremely costly she will be needing a motorized wheelchair, ramps, she will require more help with in home care above &  beyond what Insurance will cover.
Rick works full time to cover there insurance needs and is there only source of income now. Medical can wipe you out completely as you all know. They have used alot of there  savings already. 
Debbie & Rick reside in Sutton, Ma. & have aways been extremely finacially independent, have saved, work very hard, and have been always there to help people throught there lives.
So in efforts to help Debbie & Rick thru these difficult times. Whatever you can do, if you can't  do it in a monetary way, I ask you to contact your local MASS Senators & Congress people  to aide them in  making the insurance Co. abide by this ruling from 2016. How do the insurance companies get away with it ?
Please Share this page with as many people possible.
Thank you in advance for helping in anyway to our friend, it is greatly appreciated.
100% of the proceeds will go to the care of Debbie Smith as she is the  beneficiary to this account!
On Behalf of Debbie & Rick Thank you!

 Thank You from the bottom of my heart.
Darlene Papalardo

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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $500 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Darlene Papalardo
Organizer
Millbury, MA
Debbie Smith
Beneficiary

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