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Ralph's medical fund

Hello, this is Ralph and this is my story.   In 2011,  I was getting ready for work, went into the kitchen to start my coffee maker. Next, I went to the bathroom to take a shower, as I enter the bathroom I slipped on some water that was spilled from the night before.  I fell into the bathtub head first and hit the inside of the tub, where it snapped my neck.

 I lived in an apartment at the time by myself.  There I was, bent over the tub half in half out.  I could not feel or move any part of my body, bleeding out of my mouth.  No one to help me, the only thing I could do is yell for help.  I could hear the children talking outside waiting for the school bus.  I was hoping that they would hear me.  But the school bus came and then they were gone.

 It was 8:00 am when I fell.  I laid there in the bathtud praying to God and asking for help.  God told me to keep yelling into the bathtub drain and somebody will hear me.  Their I was bleeding out of my mouth cant move any part of my body and with no clothes on.  Time is passing by, I had no idea of how much time has gone by.  I am getting weaker and bleeding more.  I keep praying for someone to hear me.  I told myself that if I was to die that I am going to make my peace with the Lord.  As time passes by my body is starting to fade out.  I am still yelling in the drain, but I am about ready to give up when I hear the front door open and my friend from next door yelled Ralph.  

I could not believe it, help was here and I answered with a yell of help.  God answered my call for help.  The time is now 9:45 am, one hour and forty-five minutes I laid there in the tub.  The first responders came in put a neck brace on me and then on a flat board.  Then they put an IV in my arm and transported me to the hospital.  Went directly to the ER.  Don't know how long I was in surgery but when I came out of their  I had lines running out of my mouth, my neck had a trak and IV lines into my arms.  I could not feel anything below my neck.  I am totally in shock, eyes watering cant talk, I needed answers.  

My family is there with the doctors and they are talking to me, they tell me that I had fractured my neck and pinched my spinal cord.  I have a c4/c5 fracture of the neck with spinal cord injury.  The next step for me is to go to a rehab hospital.  For the next 60 days, I have undergone the most stressful and painful thing I have ever done in my life,  The PT and the OT rehab was every day, PT in the morning and OT in the afternoon.  

After the stay with the rehab hospital, I was transferred to a skilled nursing home with a therapy department.  Was able to get the therapy I needed for a while until the insurance ran out.  Now the Cena aids have to move my legs back and forth and up and down, then bend them at the knee in order to get me out of bed.  I get out of bed at 9:00 am and put into a wheelchair.  I stay in this wheelchair until 8:00 pm at night.  

The chair that I am in, is seven years old and needs to be replaced.  The wheelchair that I need has to be able to tilt, recline and also have a control/function that can stand me up for transfers.  Insurance company bought the first one for me and won't buy another one.  I am in need of this type of wheelchair now.   I need to have ongoing therapy.  I thank you for taking the time reading my story and for whatever help you can give me would be of great help.  Please share my story with your family and friends.   If you have any other ideas for helping me to reach my target, please let me know.  God bless you.

I truly thank you,  Ralph
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Donations 

  • Angela Keith
    • $50 
    • 6 yrs
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Organizer

Ralph La Brash
Organizer
Galesburg, MI

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