Recovering covid patient needs a home

Hi, my name is Tammy and I’m Fund raising for Michael Berrier. Mike was found on his bedroom floor having a hard time breathing and to weak to lift himself up off the floor. He was taken to the hospital via ambulance and diagnosed with Covid-19 on January 18, 2022.

Within the first week in the hospital his health deteriorated to the point that the decision had to be made to have him sedated and intubated.

Each day that I went to visit him he looked weaker and more fragile.

Holding his hand and praying seemed like all I could do.

By week 2 he was almost unrecognizable. He had lost so much weight and his bones were starting to show. The day I took this photo I almost lost it and broke down crying because for the first time I thought to myself, what would I do without him in my life. What will Gabriel do, how will this effect him. Gabriel is my 16 yr old grandson who at age two was diagnosed with low functioning autism. Mike, is by every sense of the word, Gabriel’s grandpa. Mike and I had been together 5 years when Gabriel was born. Gabriel has always lived with us and Mike took on the roll as grandpa and even though Mike and myself are no longer a couple, Mike has remained a permanent fixture in Gabriel’s life. They share A bond that could only come thru love.

I would sit and talk to him telling him about all his customers that have been reaching out to me asking about his health and sending love and words of encouragement. I even made tapes that could be played in his room when he was alone.

Mike has fought so hard to get better and it’s starting show. One of the best days in my life was when I finally got to see his beautiful blue eyes again.

Mike is continuing to get stronger and stronger and he can’t wait to get out of the hospital. He is having to learn how to do everything all over again. His entire life as he’s known it has completely changed.

Things we take for granted he’s had to relearn. Like how to swallow. Like with every other muscle in Mike’s body his throat muscles hadn’t been used in about 3 months. This is a photo of his first bite of food, okay, ice cream in 3 months.

He’s learned to use his hands fairly well now working on strengthening his arms. Although, what he really wants is to be able to walk. Baby steps but, he is getting there. Mike wheels himself down to the exercise room sometimes 3 times a day so that he can ride the bike and work on getting his legs stronger. He is starting to take steps and is getting into his wheel chair on his own.

He finally got the news a few days ago, that if his progress continues at this rate he could be looking at getting out off the hospital by the end of July.

Here’s the reason I’m setting up the fund raiser for Mike. A couple of years ago Mike was asked by his mom to move in withher and his step dad. His step dad has had polo since he was a child and he’s now to the point that he can no longer walk and it’s very difficult to move around. Day to day tasks were becoming impossible. His step dad being the only one that drove because his mom has always been too afraid to learn. Short story, Mike agreed to move in with his mom and step dad and make sure they got to their appointment’s and such.

There’s no way Mike would be able to move back in with his mom because he willneed someone to look after him for an unknown period of time. I have been by Mike’s side for 22 years and I will care for him until he’s back on his feet.

With Mike not having a place of his own to be discharged to and having no savings in order to rent a place I’ve decided to do what I can so that he has one less thing to worry about. It was suggested to me that I start a go fund me and try to raise money in order to get him a place to stay and hopefully pay enough in advance on rent and utilities that he can focus on getting better.

Mike has worked for himself for about 20 years doing handyman work. He is a fairly simple man who has always tried to help others anyway possible. Mike found the best way he could help others was thru his everyday work. He kept his prices extremely low and you could call him anytime of the day or any day of the week and 9 out of 10 times he’d be right there to fix whatever needed fixing.

Early on in our relationship I couldn’t understand why a person who has so many customers and steady work was living paycheck to paycheck. This is a man who struggled every month to pay his bills, not because he lived above his means but because he couldn’t find it within himself to charge the outrageous prices that everyone else charges. The price rate he charged in 2000 hasn’t really changed to much in the past 20 years. Mike doesn’t own a house and at the time he was admitted into the hospital he only had one vehicle which is his work and personal vehicle. No personal checking or savings account and in his business account I don’t think he’s ever had more than a couple hundred dollars.

I will admit thru out the years we’ve had many argument’s about the fact that he shouldn’t be struggling as much as he does to pay the monthly bills. He never wanted the cost of his services to cause anyone else to have to struggle to make their payments.

I know most of us are feeling the effects of inflation and the rise in living costs and it might be hard to donate, trust me, I understand. I would like to ask, if everyone who reads this could please share this link to all family and friends. If you’re able to donate at this time, there are no words I can say to express my gratitude. Thank you, just doesn’t seem to be enough.

Please, whether it be by sharing the link or thru a cash donation let’s lift the burden of Mike worrying about where he’ll live when released from the hospital.

Again, Thank you all so much!