Paul's Road to Recovery & Home
Donation protected
I'd like you to meet the two most resilient, patient, and strong people I know. They are Paul and Tanya Libby. He is my youngest brother; she is my sister, thanks to their marriage ten years ago. They are parents to my fiesty nephews, Dylan, 7, and TyIer, 5. They are my neighbors, my friends, and their children's heroes- what they do everyday is the stuff of epic, fragile, heart-wrenching romances.
Unfortunately, intense faith, good will, optimism - these things don't pay the bills and that is why I am asking for your help on their behalf.
As many of you know, on November 8, 2010 Paul was involved in a tragic fall which left him paralyzed from the sternum down. Paul, Tanya, and their boys worked very hard over the course of those first two years to withstand many rounds of therapy, hospital stays, and several moves between Maryland and Vermont. With a lot of love and support from family and friends, they were able to get a fresh start back home in Vermont nearly two years ago. This fresh start brought stability: a new home, new friends, and new jobs. Dylan is looking forward to starting second grade this fall; Tyler starts kindergarten.
So, why have we set up this site? This past February, Paul spent a winter day outside with his boys building a snow fort. It was a great day; unfortunately it left Paul with a blister on his back side. Since that time, he has been struggling to heal what turned into a pressure sore. This area became infected and turned into a significant wound. This led to a seven-week hospital stay for Paul that began on May 1st. He was confined to his bed in order to keep all pressure off the wound following surgery to remove infection and begin anew.
All was going well and he was able to rejoin Tanya and the boys at home in June. Unfortunately the tissue that was healing began to calcify and had to be removed in July. This time the void was even larger and the healing process even more difficult. The doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston agreed to take Paul on as a patient and on Monday, August 3rd, he underwent another surgery. After spending a week laying nearly still in his hospital bed, he was transferred on August 10th to Spaulding Rehabiliation Center to continue his recovery. It is anticipated that he could be in Boston for a few additional months. Following the initial recovery from this significant surgery, he will only be allowed to sit in his wheelchair for small, specified amounts of time each day. This healing is going to take some time.
They are strong, they are resilient, and they are proud, and they need our help. Paul and Tanya’s family and friends have decided to see what we might be able to do to help them during this time. The financial struggle associated with missing months of work, hospital stays, expenses, travel, etc.. is real. Everywhere I go, people open their hearts to the story of Paul & Tanya's fortitude and positivity. Our family and friends all ask, "What can we do?" Strangers ask, "What can we do?"
So here is the plain truth. You can help. You can give a monetary gift that is appropriate for you and it...will...HELP. I'll be honest with you. Paul and Tanya aren't big fans of this idea; they perservere without any notion that help will magically appear. But what if it could? What if, together, the people who love, admire, work with, play with, live with, worship with, and adore Paul, Tanya, Dylan, and Tyler, could magically help...help make the days ahead slightly easier, slightly more bearable, slightly less stressful.
This is how we can demonstrate our support, our love, our hope - for a simpler, healthier time when their family is under one roof - together, healthy, and strong.
Thank you,
Emily Libby Marshia
Unfortunately, intense faith, good will, optimism - these things don't pay the bills and that is why I am asking for your help on their behalf.
As many of you know, on November 8, 2010 Paul was involved in a tragic fall which left him paralyzed from the sternum down. Paul, Tanya, and their boys worked very hard over the course of those first two years to withstand many rounds of therapy, hospital stays, and several moves between Maryland and Vermont. With a lot of love and support from family and friends, they were able to get a fresh start back home in Vermont nearly two years ago. This fresh start brought stability: a new home, new friends, and new jobs. Dylan is looking forward to starting second grade this fall; Tyler starts kindergarten.
So, why have we set up this site? This past February, Paul spent a winter day outside with his boys building a snow fort. It was a great day; unfortunately it left Paul with a blister on his back side. Since that time, he has been struggling to heal what turned into a pressure sore. This area became infected and turned into a significant wound. This led to a seven-week hospital stay for Paul that began on May 1st. He was confined to his bed in order to keep all pressure off the wound following surgery to remove infection and begin anew.
All was going well and he was able to rejoin Tanya and the boys at home in June. Unfortunately the tissue that was healing began to calcify and had to be removed in July. This time the void was even larger and the healing process even more difficult. The doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston agreed to take Paul on as a patient and on Monday, August 3rd, he underwent another surgery. After spending a week laying nearly still in his hospital bed, he was transferred on August 10th to Spaulding Rehabiliation Center to continue his recovery. It is anticipated that he could be in Boston for a few additional months. Following the initial recovery from this significant surgery, he will only be allowed to sit in his wheelchair for small, specified amounts of time each day. This healing is going to take some time.
They are strong, they are resilient, and they are proud, and they need our help. Paul and Tanya’s family and friends have decided to see what we might be able to do to help them during this time. The financial struggle associated with missing months of work, hospital stays, expenses, travel, etc.. is real. Everywhere I go, people open their hearts to the story of Paul & Tanya's fortitude and positivity. Our family and friends all ask, "What can we do?" Strangers ask, "What can we do?"
So here is the plain truth. You can help. You can give a monetary gift that is appropriate for you and it...will...HELP. I'll be honest with you. Paul and Tanya aren't big fans of this idea; they perservere without any notion that help will magically appear. But what if it could? What if, together, the people who love, admire, work with, play with, live with, worship with, and adore Paul, Tanya, Dylan, and Tyler, could magically help...help make the days ahead slightly easier, slightly more bearable, slightly less stressful.
This is how we can demonstrate our support, our love, our hope - for a simpler, healthier time when their family is under one roof - together, healthy, and strong.
Thank you,
Emily Libby Marshia
Organizer and beneficiary
Emily Marshia
Organizer
Chelsea, VT
Tanya Libby
Beneficiary