As everyone knows, Rich and his family recently relocated back to the Binghamton area from Elmira so that he could pursue his dream of owning his own business. This has been a successful venture for them until Thursday, May 31.

After a few days of not feeling well, Rich's wife, Olga insisted that he see a doctor for some symptoms he was experiencing. It took spiking a high fever for him to begrudgingly go to the Emergency Room. Once at the ER it is was determined that he in fact had a fever of 105 degrees, and all of his blood levels were dangerously low. This resulted in him being immediately admitted to the hospital and put in isolation.

Since Friday, his doctors have been trying to determine what exactly is causing his symptoms. There is a possibility that a tick bite he experienced last weekend may be the cause for his symptoms but it is not yet known. He is currently being treated for sepsis with a variety of antibiotics. He has had multiple blood tests, a CT scan, and an MRI is now ordered to sort out where this unknown infection is coming from. His discharge from the hospital has not been decided.

Rich is my brother. He is a kind, caring man who has a wife, and four young children who depend on him. He is the sole caretaker for his family. He has been out of work since Thursday. While this is a short amount of time for some people, to someone who is self employed it is an immediate loss of income. Income that provides food, shelter, and transportation for his family.

All of the funds raised will go directly to Rich and Olga for their household expenses while Rich is out of work. As of right now, we have no idea how long that will be. Any contributions no matter how small will help them to offset their household expenses and for any unexpected expenses, and will be incredibly appreciated.

Thank you so much for your generosity!