Help Phil Walk Again
In March 2021, Phil started experiencing tingling and numbness in his feet. Thinking it was a symptom of his diabetes, he went to his primary care doctor who referred him to a neurologist.
The wait for an appointment with the neurologist was over a month, and with his ability to walk getting worse and worse, Phil checked himself into the emergency room on April 8th.
He was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, an extremely rare condition where your body attacks your nerves. The condition can paralyze your entire body, and his condition was worsening quickly. He was admitted to Wellington Regional Hospital, and endured a spinal tap, a two week plasmapheresis treatment, and Intravenous immunoglobulin treatment. After this he was transferred to St. Mary’s Rehabilitation in West Palm Beach to receive intensive physical therapy.
After making progress at St. Mary’s and regaining his ability to stand and use a walker, Phil started to regress. He was back to square one and unable to stand or walk. So he was transferred to St. Mary’s hospital for steroid treatment in an effort to stop his body from continuing to attack his nerves. After five days of this, he was then transferred to Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital in Stuart, FL. This is a specialized facility with state of the art equipment to give Phil the best chance at recovery.
Phil has not been home in 59 days. His recovery has been slow but he is once again making progress. He is hoping to be released soon with the help of a wheelchair and walker, and will need to continue in-home physical and occupational therapy. Throughout this whole ordeal, his attitude has been remarkably positive and he is remaining resilient in the face of these challenges. He has been unable to work and we are unsure when he will be able to return to full-time employment.
Needless to say, this has been an incredibly difficult time for Phil and his family. Concerns for Phil’s condition paired with the immense financial strain of this situation has been dragging on for two months now, and unfortunately we have no idea when or if things will truly return back to normal for Phil and his family. The last thing we want is for Phil to feel pressured to return to work and forego the necessary recovery time and physical therapy to make a full recovery.
Phil and his family have truly appreciated all the support from our community. We are now asking if you can to share this fundraiser in the hopes that we can offset the massive medical bills and lack of income this ordeal has caused.
