
Please help support Bortz’s in a time of need.
Donation protected
Where do we start?
Christmas 2022 - my parents both came down with COVID - pops bounced back no trouble – mom is an entirely different story.
Let me begin by telling you a little about these amazing, happily married high school sweet hearts, parents of 5 who are loving and hard working followers of God.
My mother has been a highly successful nurse for over 30 years with her highest degree achievement being Registered Nurse First Assistant. It would literally be an entire book, or series, to summarize her life’s work, (spoiler alert, knowing her she may write one). Her hard work and time in the medical field impacted processes and procedures the world over. She has cared for everyone, from us everyday average Joe’s to highly tuned professional athletes who compete at the highest level. She worked and went to nursing school at the same time as raising us 5 children. She was honored by Phi Theta Kappa within the first year of nursing school. As long as I can remember she woke up early and went to bed late. She has worked so many 16 hour days in my life that for the longest time I thought that is just what her shift schedule was. She has always been a very hard working and dedicated professional, so is my dad.
He’s done everything and can do anything. He has worked with farmers in my family from the time we were little all the way up to not 6 years ago; he would “take time off” from managing a metal fabrication shop to go visit our grandfather for weeks to help him with harvest. He worked years in the oil field until he became an electrician to be at home more. He can weld, build, fix, create, plumb, frame, wire, fix, work on just about anything. We could also write a book on my father. He was a member of the Kansas Army National Guard for 12 years. He served in the 1st, 127th, 161st field artillery divisions and notably as a Weapon Assembly Specialist on the 35th division Tactical Nuclear Weapons Team. He as well during our lives worked during the day and studied at night, I remember him falling asleep in the evening holding his classwork books in the recliner with “Home Improvement” or a movie like “Die Hard” playing in the background. He earned his Masters Degree as an electrician and started an electrical company back in the early 2000’s. He was well on his way in his first year when a tragic fall from a roof while working late shattered his ankle. Long story short, after a few years of hardship, pain and frustration with all other possible procedures, he ended up electing to amputate the leg below the knee and wears a prosthesis. His bone simply would not heal and regrow due to prior life experience. As with other handi-capable, since then he has continued to work hard to support a rich and full life. He is on the government assistance disability program and has been in the process for some time to get assistance from the VA. His work ethic would rival many a younger person’s on any normal day.
You now have a pretty good idea that these two hard working members of society have given greatly to society, their family and everyone around them. They have done everything they have to better and provide for their family and do what is right. While we have been rich in many aspects of life thanks to them, financially it has had many struggles for which they sacrificed immensely to overcome.
My parents now face another financial challenge which they will undoubtedly overcome. Our family is and will continue to support them in every way we can. However, none of us are in a position to support them in the extent that they now need.
As stated earlier my mother and father had COVID Christmas of 2022 and my mother has not recovered. At the time she was working as a Nurse and after the initial immediate symptoms were gone, she attempted to return to work. She was however unable to continue very long as she has what is now commonly being referred to as Long COVID. She has all the symptoms people experience, cognitive challenges, physical restrictions, chest pain, shortness of breath, microvascular disease processes, heart and brain, list goes on. She made the decision with her professional consideration of patients and their well being, to stop work and seek disability assistance while she strives to recover from Long COVID. Long COVID is the number one reason that she can’t return to the work force in any fashion, currently. She has a vision though of working as a nurse until she is 80 years old, this has been the case since she was in nursing school so please know she is the determined kind and if anyone can recover from this novel virus/novel syndrome of Long COVID; she will and she will help change the future. She was on short term disability from her job. With no clear path or idea on how to recover or how long recovery will take, she applied for long term disability from the company she worked for but was surprisingly denied. I say worked for because they terminated her after not being able to return to work for 6 months while still battling the Long COVID. She is seeking alternative avenues for compensation for this but no idea when/if that will happen. She also applied for SSA disability but that says review period could be 6 months in BOLD at the top of the form.
As I mentioned while introducing my father, he is an amputee and wears a prosthetic for his leg. He has a sore on his stump that he has been battling for 2 months. He has always worked as he can to help with income. He goes through common complications with his prosthetic leg that comes from wearing it and typically recovers fairly quickly. The income he can make has been especially crucial since my mom hasn’t been able to work for more than 9 months now. This sore is preventing him to pursue any additional income but blessedly had a successful surgery this past Friday on the 12th to remove a cyst. He will not be able to wear his prosthesis for about a month and unsure on how long before he can wear it regularly enough to work and bring back an income.
They had a six month reserve but due to increase medical expenses from dads leg/moms Long COVID that has been depleted in 2 months. Not to mention inflation and everything else contributing to tighter finances for all of us these days.
SO There is a gap between when their funds ran out and when we estimate or think a form of income will pick back up with my father. This could be 3 months or it could be 6 months, hard to say and we are hopeful but he has already faced many difficulties with this sore that he did not face previously. His surgeon even commented after removing the cyst that he is at a loss for why it would not heal. My family is asking for people to come stand in this gap with them.
Please consider any donation to help support them during this gap – these funds are needed to help with daily living, their normal monthly income falling short and extra medical expenses and trips with both conditions. I have put out the number of funds needed on their goal as an estimation from what they have gone through in the short amount of time and the longer side of six months that they may need to cover.
We pray if its the Lords plan, that everything will go best case scenario and will be even shorter than 3 months. My parents have already spoken to ideas on what they would do if there are excess funds in the donation when they come out the other side. Our family will be so grateful for any support that you can provide! God bless!
Organizer and beneficiary
Matthew Bortz
Organizer
Wichita, KS

Penny Bortz
Beneficiary