My friends,

I am reluctant to do this, and I have put it off until I have no choice, but I need help.

As you may know, Lea, the light of my life, broke her leg a little over a month ago. How it happened we don't know, though we suspect that it has something to do with the osteoporosis that she was diagnosed with by the surgeon. She broke both her tibia and fibula bones about 1 inch above her ankle, and also broke a bone in her ankle.

After putting over 9 screws and a plate in her ankle, she was moved to a post-acute care facility in Sacramento, which is over 100 miles from our house. The Sacramento location was chosen for it's ability to meet her needs, and to treat her vertigo and her shoulder damage from the fall.

Due to a traumatic brain injury in December of 2013, I am directlly involved in her recovery, and in medical decisions. This has meant that I drive down two to three times a week, Each trip costs around $100, and impacts my work schedule, and has, on occasion, required that I stay overnight. Unsurprisingly, we have now come to the end of our savings.

Between the costs involved in the traveling (the past month was over $1500, due to lodging and the necessity of several extra trips to get Lea set up, and to have extra diagnostic work done) and the phone and utilities, we are financially in debt. I am asking for help. Any donation will be big for us.

As to Lea's health, the orthopedic surgeon has yet to give us a timeline for Lea to start to put weight on her foot. At a guess, she may be in the facility for another month or more. On Monday she will be taken by medical transport back to Clearlake, to see the aforementioned surgeon, with luck we will have a better idea of the length of time she will be in the facility,

To say this has been hard is an understatement. I am unused to an empty house, and the silence. I am unused to the level of financial burden that has hit us. And I am unused to asking so much of my friends. Please, even if all you can afford is to send me a message of support, everything helps. Thank you for reading this, and thank you for your love and friendship.

Philip