A Helping Hand for Phillip Wright – Fighting Guillain-Barré Disease.
Summary: I need your urgent help to cover basic living expenses and my mounting medical bills, essential treatments, and ongoing care as I fight this challenging disease.
Hi, my name is Phillip Wright. Everything changed for me on December 1st, 2025, when I went to the emergency room with extreme double and tilted vision. It was too severe to walk most of the time and made me very nauseous with severe vomiting. They gave me some nausea medication and something for high blood sugar. As I was leaving the hospital, I tried to use the restroom, but I collapsed. My legs gave out, and when I grabbed the rails, my arms gave out instantly, and I fell backward, hitting my head on the wall. I was effectively paralyzed. I couldn't get up or even roll on my side. Eventually, I got a foot on the handle, got the door open, and called for help. They put me in a wheelchair, and I regained some use of my muscles. They wheeled me out to my ride and told my wife to call 911 if I collapsed again or got worse in any way. They told me I needed to see my primary care doctor.
Well, I didn't have a primary doctor or insurance.
It took me around 10 days to finally find a doctor who would take me as self-pay and get me in that soon. By the time I got in to see Dr. Pipkins, my condition had progressed so far that I was almost completely incapacitated. I couldn't move my legs, arms, or fingers; only my little fingers would work at all, and they didn't even have enough strength to push a button on my cell phone. I couldn't dial the phone, pick up the phone, or even hold the phone or anything. I couldn't stand, roll over on my side, or get up if I was on the ground. I could move some of my muscles in some limited directions, but most of my muscles in my whole body, including my torso and eventually my face, would not move hardly at all. For example, I could push my ankles down, but I couldn't lift my legs or even move them. If I was laying down, I couldn't lift one leg and put it on top of the other. This progressed rapidly, and then after the third day, I started to have trouble breathing. My face was getting very stiff; I couldn't drink out of a straw or even make a seal around the straw with my lips, and it scared me. It felt as if I was being buried alive and suffocated, and I couldn't move or do anything.
I would lay for hours trying to get my legs up on the couch. I couldn't even do that, or roll over, sit up, or anything. It was very scary. You all know me, "crazy Phil," walk through fire and bullets for my family and friends without a second thought. I wasn't scared easily of anything until I lay there completely helpless. It humbled me quickly and permanently.
I have to thank God that I survived. He gave me an awesome wife who was there for me continually and undeservingly. My brother Chris and my son Phillip looked after me during the few days leading up to my hospitalization and probably saved my life. It took all their strength to move my dead weight where I needed to go.
Dr. Pipkins recognized the severity of my illness and saw me, even though my financial situation was poor, and referred me to a neurologist and an obstetrician with some kind of emergency stat rush. She told me they would call that day or in the morning, and they did call that night. When they found out I was self-pay, they told me I couldn't get in until September. The next morning is when I started having trouble breathing, and my son called 911.
I was taken to Gulf Coast Medical Center, and eventually, after many, many exams and tests, I was at last diagnosed with Guillain-Barré disease. It's a bad neurological condition that will affect much of my body. There is no cure, but there are treatments for the symptoms, and they've started me on a couple of them, and I'm responding fairly well. I've got to say, this diagnosis has me pretty upside down. The infusion treatment cost $7000.00 for each day I get it. So as of today I'm at $35,000.00. I have one more infusion tomorrow bringing the total this month to $42000.00 just for the IVIG infusion. I have 2 other meds I'm taking also but I'm not sure of the cost of them at this moment because I'm still in the hospital. I think and hope they will be in the normal range
My challenge now is financial.
Since they told me, the nurses here have been following up with more testing and have begun the many months-long drag of physical therapy on my slowly responding body. While the medical team at Gulf Coast Hospital is giving me the best care they can, the financial strain just around the corner looms over me like a dark cloud. Frankly, it's already overwhelming.
I'm trying to get insurance. My brother paid my overdue premium before the ambulance was called but coverage hasent kicked in yet, I've been going round and round wth them about it. Even if I do, get it I dont think i'll have it in time to cover the bills already in the many, many multiple thousands of dollars. I've been hospitalized for 6 days now, and I have at least 2 days left before I might be able to be in inpatient care at another facility or outpatient car
Even with insurance, the out-of-pockets are going to crush me. Here's my burden:
* The medical bills have already added up quickly because of ambulance ride, hospitalization, diagnostic tests, labs, Spinal tap, Full body CAT Scan, FULL Body MRI, and MULTIPLE other MRI's of different areas, IVIG treatments, and other treatments, etc.
* Some of the specialized treatments aren't fully covered by insurance even if I do get it.
* Essential living expenses like rent, utilities, and transportation, so long as I can't work.
* Lost wages from the past few weeks is by itself overwhelming.
It's a hard thing to do, but I'm asking for your help to raise $
100,000 to ease the burden so I can focus on recovery without the added stress of financial ruin.
I've calculated the costs that will mount because I can't go back to work right now. This is how your donation will save me...
Every dollar donated will go to medical bills, past and future hospital stays, testing, and specialist visits.
Treatment, essential medications, or therapeutic sessions.
At-home care, mobility aids, necessary adjustments to the home, or nursing assistance.
Loss of income, covering basic living expenses while I am out of work.
Please share my story.
If you can't donate right now, just sharing my troubles with you is an incredibly valuable gift. The more people that see this, (hopefully) the closer I'll be to my goal.
Please use the share buttons and encourage your friends and family to read about my fight.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your kindness, prayers, and support during such a difficult time as this!
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With gratitude,
Phillip Wright
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