Jr.'s Medical Fund
Donation protected
As a Senior in High School, our son Lee, Jr. had set the personal goals of a career in U.S. Marine aviation. The desire to follow his Grandfather's footsteps into the officer corp of this elite military organization had been with him for years. Now, he was in the final stages of reaching the preliminary goal of an NROTC Scholarship to Vanderbilt. He was fit in body and mind and spirit.
He even got this close to a world record deadlift (for his age and weight class) in November 2013...
His proud parents decided to send him on a snow skiing trip as a reward. Then, the unthinkable happened.
Midway through the first day at Snowshoe, WV he caught ice and went down hard. What we would soon learn is that he lascerated both kidneys, bruised a lung, and, worst of all, tore vital nerves out from his spinal cord, paralyzing his right arm (yes, he was right-handed). After the Ski Patrol effort, an ambulance ride, an air ambulance flight, 2 hospitals and a 10-hour drive we arrived back home 36 hours later, unsure what the future holds for him.
As his kidneys continued to bleed (unknown to us), he made it another couple of days before he was back at the hospital. 11 days later he came home again.
I promised him we would find the best treatment possible - whatever it took. Specialists in brachial plexus injury at UAB told us there was no hope, and that amputation was in his future. I reminded him of my earlier promise. If that was what we had to do, then so be it - but only as a last resort.
A "chance" dinner with an attorney friend led to a discussion about Lee, Jr. He recalled a case he worked involving a similar injury and a Doctor from Tulane. We discovered the doctor had retired ... but, his protege was now at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. They offered a radical muscle transplant (from his left thigh into his right arm) and multiple nerve grafts to give the hope of minimal, but functional use of his arm. On June 17, 2014 he endured a 12-an-a-half hour surgery with 3 surgeons. The incisions could be measured in feet, not inches. He had one follow-up surgery in January, 2015. With 4 trips to Mayo under our belt and one more to come this july, we wait for the result (which will take another 18 months for the nerves to fully regenerate).
He starts college at the University of Alabama this Fall after a one-year delay. If you met him, you would never guess what has befallen him. He has never lost faith or questioned his trust in God. His spirit is strong and he has never waivered in his positive attitude and outlook. He's a good friend ...
He still works out at the gym (like a fiend) 5-6 time a week, with his right arm securely strapped to his torso. He copes with his new reality as if it is a minor obstacle. I am in awe of my son.
He went withthe family on a mission trip to Panama a couple of weeks before his big surgery. The good Lord willing, he will return with us this June...
Thankfully, we had good insurance and wonderful and generous friends and family. Even so, we are left with a balance of $30,000 - most of which is the air ambulance. We will not burden our son with any of this debt, no matter what it takes. He will start the next chapter of his life with a paid college education and a clean slate. This time next year, we will have both of our kids in college. If you will help, our family will be genuinely grateful.
May God bless you!
He even got this close to a world record deadlift (for his age and weight class) in November 2013...
His proud parents decided to send him on a snow skiing trip as a reward. Then, the unthinkable happened.
Midway through the first day at Snowshoe, WV he caught ice and went down hard. What we would soon learn is that he lascerated both kidneys, bruised a lung, and, worst of all, tore vital nerves out from his spinal cord, paralyzing his right arm (yes, he was right-handed). After the Ski Patrol effort, an ambulance ride, an air ambulance flight, 2 hospitals and a 10-hour drive we arrived back home 36 hours later, unsure what the future holds for him.
As his kidneys continued to bleed (unknown to us), he made it another couple of days before he was back at the hospital. 11 days later he came home again.
I promised him we would find the best treatment possible - whatever it took. Specialists in brachial plexus injury at UAB told us there was no hope, and that amputation was in his future. I reminded him of my earlier promise. If that was what we had to do, then so be it - but only as a last resort.
A "chance" dinner with an attorney friend led to a discussion about Lee, Jr. He recalled a case he worked involving a similar injury and a Doctor from Tulane. We discovered the doctor had retired ... but, his protege was now at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. They offered a radical muscle transplant (from his left thigh into his right arm) and multiple nerve grafts to give the hope of minimal, but functional use of his arm. On June 17, 2014 he endured a 12-an-a-half hour surgery with 3 surgeons. The incisions could be measured in feet, not inches. He had one follow-up surgery in January, 2015. With 4 trips to Mayo under our belt and one more to come this july, we wait for the result (which will take another 18 months for the nerves to fully regenerate).
He starts college at the University of Alabama this Fall after a one-year delay. If you met him, you would never guess what has befallen him. He has never lost faith or questioned his trust in God. His spirit is strong and he has never waivered in his positive attitude and outlook. He's a good friend ...
He still works out at the gym (like a fiend) 5-6 time a week, with his right arm securely strapped to his torso. He copes with his new reality as if it is a minor obstacle. I am in awe of my son.
He went withthe family on a mission trip to Panama a couple of weeks before his big surgery. The good Lord willing, he will return with us this June...
Thankfully, we had good insurance and wonderful and generous friends and family. Even so, we are left with a balance of $30,000 - most of which is the air ambulance. We will not burden our son with any of this debt, no matter what it takes. He will start the next chapter of his life with a paid college education and a clean slate. This time next year, we will have both of our kids in college. If you will help, our family will be genuinely grateful.
May God bless you!
Organizer
Lee Ruston Jamieson
Organizer
Tallahassee, FL