Papa Joe's Broken Bones

I (Jimi Benedict aka "Jimiyo") am fund raising for my girlfriend's father Joseph Parler.

This is Joe's totally wrecked shoulder xray. A normal shoulder xray is shown to elucidate the difference.

He has a broken clavicle and a dislocated, fractured neck of the humerus, but as you can see, Papa Joe still keeps a smile on his face! He's not even on pain meds. Lesser men would be writhing in agony, but as his friend said of him, he is "one tough son of a -------."

He is 78 years stubborn, a celebrated veteran fighter pilot of the USAF, a former captain for American Airlines, and most recently for 16 years the hospitality manager at a popular Miami bar and grill where many of the staff adore him and call him "Papa Joe."

Living only on Social Security, were it not for his daughter and friends, he is literally, one event away from homelessness.

We were oblivious of how dire his situation was until a recent accident.

The effects of Hurricane Irma are still visible in Miami where Papa Joe lives. Piles of tree limbs and debris still clutter the side of most roads.

One night after coming home he fell walking around debris from Hurrican Irma. He didn't ask for help until the next day.

The photos below shows his injury during the first few days after the accident.

When the doctor asked "on a scale of 1 to 10, how much pain are you experiencing?"

He said, "about a 2."


The broken clavicle actually happened months ago, (he did not seek medical attention) although the dislocation and fractured surgical neck of the humerus is due to recent events.

If it's not obvious, he's stoic when it comes to pain, and dismissive of circumstances in which most others would ask for help.

So we are asking for help for him.

We are exhausting all avenues for help. Researching VA benefits, inquiring with social workers and health workers, and continuing to learn all the things required to maintain quality active daily living for Joe.

There will be medical bills, rehabilitation, need for transportation, and most likely, expenses we have not even considered.

To be honest, he was forced into retirement at the beginning of the year.

He admits that he fell into a severe depression at that time.

The depression was evident when we were finally given permission to enter his apartment. It was in utter disarray.

The kitchen sink had been broken and unusable
for a long time.

Since Hurricane Irma, the broken refrigerator has been sitting unopened with molding food. Maggots and liquified goo spilled forth when we opened the doors.


We completely filled a commercial trash bin with rotting, putrid bags of trash, and hired hazardous waste cleaners to perform an exorcism on the refrigerator.

We asked how he could have allowed it to become so dire and what his plan was going to be to remedy the situation, and he joked, "well I had thought about suicide"... and although he laughed when he said it, considering the events of the past year, hopelessness would definitely enter anyone's mind.

However, in the days following the discovery of his situation, after all the doctor visits, and the quantity of time with his daughter and I taking care of him, he said, that the accident has been one of the best things that has happened to him.

The first few days, nurses, doctors, and care workers swarmed around him.

We took him to the bar he used to manage and dozens of people ask, "What  happened Joe!!?!?"

"Who the hell hurt you? I'll beat the --- out of them." joked one fellow.

With your pledge, we can help Joe's broken bones, and more importantly make sure that his spirit is not broken and can heal as well.

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Funding Needs:

The funding will assist in various categories: medical assistance, transportation, income supplementation.

There have already been expenses in edema wound care, refrigerator exorcism, sink repair, and extensive deep cleaning.Home health care, physical, and occupational therapy will be required since the daughter and I live in another state. There will be extensive medical bills to cover. Adaptations to his living environment would be ideal to avoid further accidents.

With a disabled arm, Joe will be unable to drive. Considering a lapse in insurance, license, and a leak in the power steering system, there is a potential he will need transportation assistance in perpetuity. We have already applied to STS, but as most public services are overwhelmed, approval may take beyond the 6 weeks of projected rehabilitation.

It has been found that Joe has been living on less than the federally defined poverty level for almost a year. We are investigating any and all income supplements including food stamps, etc. In the interim, income supplementation from pledges would greatly mitigate the frustration of waiting for public assistance.

Joe is still mentally sharp and capable, but due to current physical fragility is unable to work. There is a potential for work due to his network of friends.

We just need a little help to get over this hump.

Every dollar counts.

Thank you for reading!