Please Help Me Afford My Life-Saving Care

Pat Durkin is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Patrick Durkin.

Donation protected

*This fundraiser has been set up by friends and family of Pat Durkin.*

I am a life-long Washingtonian and grew up in PG and Montgomery County. I attended Archbishop Carroll High School for two years before graduating from Winston Churchill High School. I went to work for the federal government in 1975 immediately following my college graduation and retired from there in 2004.

Twelve years ago I was struck by a wave in Ocean City, MD resulting in permanent spinal cord damage. I am a quadriplegic and reliant on a ventilator, requiring a 24 hour nursing team to perform almost every simple task.

At the end of 2019, my private insurance said they would no longer insure me. Since then, I have had to pay $700 a day for my nursing team, depleting my personal funds. The same nursing team has been with me for the twelve years since my accident, and they are the reason that I am still here today. I thank God for them every single day. Their care, diligence and expertise has kept me almost completely out of the hospital since my accident, despite my complex medical condition. Because of them I am able to lead a productive life which includes mentoring others with severe spinal cord injuries through the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

I am asking for your help today because I am out of options. I am no longer able to afford to keep my nurses, who have kept me alive for twelve years. Without them, I will be forced to enter a nursing home where I will not receive the same quality of care, likely leading to more frequent hospitalizations and life-threatening conditions.

I am respectfully asking if you can make a life-saving donation to help me keep my nursing staff. The monthly out-of-pocket nursing care is $21,000, and I am hoping to raise enough money to continue my care for at least the next six months.

Thank you for reading my story and considering a donation. I know this is a matter of life and death for me, and I will be forever grateful for your financial contribution.