Rick and Nicole Gallaher
Donation protected
Hi Everyone!
As many of you are aware, this has been a challenging year for Rick and Nicole. Rick has had 2 MAJOR surgeries within the past 7 months. While his surgery last fall involved only a short stay in the hospital, he was out of work for nearly 7 weeks. Rick then entered the hospital - Westchester Medical - on April 23rd and has been recovering from his 2nd, more complicated surgery. He thankfully came home on May 11th. Of course, it will be much longer before he is cleared to return to work.
It has been important for Nicole to be with Rick throughout this latest medical challenge - even staying overnight at the hospital when necessary - to provide comfort, speak with doctors, and to be Rick’s advocate. Somehow she has been able to do this while also managing everything at home. Their daughters have been wonderful and understanding, but their dad’s illness is stressful for them as well. In order for Nicole to do all of this, she has temporarily left both of her jobs, one of which is as a preschool teacher at The Ark & The Dove where I am her director. She has done this willingly as she knows in her heart it is the right thing for her to do. More often than not, when you see Nicole these days, she is smiling (!) and always trying to remain positive.
Along with the stresses of being a patient, a caregiver, or a family member comes the reality of managing a household. There are schedules to meet, food to buy and prepare, and bills to pay. While Rick has medical coverage, there are always expenses that are not covered. Rick and Nicole are very private and humble people - they never want to burden others with their own difficulties. But WE know, and that is why we want to do some thing to help them now.
Please help Rick and Nicole as they continue to deal with the stresses of the medical world and the resulting impact on their family. Please also keep the entire Gallaher family in your thoughts and prayers, and we are all so grateful that Rick is finally home!
Sincerely,
Sarah Smith
Director, The Ark and The Dove
As many of you are aware, this has been a challenging year for Rick and Nicole. Rick has had 2 MAJOR surgeries within the past 7 months. While his surgery last fall involved only a short stay in the hospital, he was out of work for nearly 7 weeks. Rick then entered the hospital - Westchester Medical - on April 23rd and has been recovering from his 2nd, more complicated surgery. He thankfully came home on May 11th. Of course, it will be much longer before he is cleared to return to work.
It has been important for Nicole to be with Rick throughout this latest medical challenge - even staying overnight at the hospital when necessary - to provide comfort, speak with doctors, and to be Rick’s advocate. Somehow she has been able to do this while also managing everything at home. Their daughters have been wonderful and understanding, but their dad’s illness is stressful for them as well. In order for Nicole to do all of this, she has temporarily left both of her jobs, one of which is as a preschool teacher at The Ark & The Dove where I am her director. She has done this willingly as she knows in her heart it is the right thing for her to do. More often than not, when you see Nicole these days, she is smiling (!) and always trying to remain positive.
Along with the stresses of being a patient, a caregiver, or a family member comes the reality of managing a household. There are schedules to meet, food to buy and prepare, and bills to pay. While Rick has medical coverage, there are always expenses that are not covered. Rick and Nicole are very private and humble people - they never want to burden others with their own difficulties. But WE know, and that is why we want to do some thing to help them now.
Please help Rick and Nicole as they continue to deal with the stresses of the medical world and the resulting impact on their family. Please also keep the entire Gallaher family in your thoughts and prayers, and we are all so grateful that Rick is finally home!
Sincerely,
Sarah Smith
Director, The Ark and The Dove
Organizer and beneficiary
Sarah Smith
Organizer
Fishkill, NY
Nicole Gallaher
Beneficiary