Hello, I’m Nick Russo. You may remember me from such fundraisers as “Heart Patient Needs Help,” and… that’s about it.
 Not because I haven’t needed it, mind.
Since the last time I came here to ask kind strangers for help, life has thrown me more than a few curveballs. I’m deeply grateful for all the assistance I got back then, when I was diagnosed with an enlarged aorta, but now…
 Well, to make a long story short?
 I’m unemployed, and I recently got three toes amputated. As a result, I am in a skilled nursing facility undergoing Physical and Occupational Therapy while I wait for the surgical team to decide that I am allowed to once more put weight on my foot and learn to walk again. The issues with my heart from last year have finally gotten a name to them when I was in the hospital: acute diastolic heart failure.  Additionally, I was just diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy and will have to have injections in both eyes every four weeks for the rest of my life. Very likely, I will never be able to drive again due to the problem with my eyes. All these things, especially the nursing home confinement, mean that I no longer qualify for unemployment, as Pennsylvania law requires me to be “able and available” to accept any job offer I receive in order to continue to collect.
 As you can imagine, that’s not something I’ll be able to do anytime soon.
The medical bills are piling up, the insurance is as uncooperative as legally possible, I’ve got a mortgage and utilities to pay, and I’m missing a part of my body. I have absolutely no money coming in and no way of working to earn any anytime soon. This… This is overwhelming. Friends and family can only do so much, no matter how they would like to help and I don’t want to be a burden. Honestly? I just want to work. I want to be healthy and do for myself what I’m asking you to help me with. I want to have enough to support other people in worse situations.
 I just can’t.
 Not yet.
 Not until I heal.
And that’s what I’m asking you to help me with: give me time to heal. Enough financial support to get by until I can stand up, even if slightly askew. Enough time to lie back and recover before I try again.
 That’s all I ask.
 All I want.  I know these aren’t the best of times. I know my situation is not unique. I know many of you are struggling at the moment.
 I also know that there are good, generous people in the world. People who don’t look away when something happens right in front of them.
 So, to all of you out there? To any of you willing to lend a hand to somebody going through hard times? Even if this time around you can’t afford it?
 Thank you for being you. With heartfelt gratitude,
 Nick Russo

Lauren Gromel

Erin Baress

Donna Reed

Nancy Sinsky

Anonymous

Josephine Territo

COLLEEN BLASI

Richard Angelicola

Frank Cunius

mary ann mesaros

Jeamy Nguyen

robert schmidt

William Woods

Post-Amputation Help Needed: Home Stability

Post-Amputation Help Needed: Home Stability

Still $5,975 to go. Help us build momentum.