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I'm Patrick Wagner, the eldest of the Wagner clan of 7 boys and 1 girl originally from Detroit's east side. We are an extremely close knit family, now with many nieces and nephews, in-laws and honorary family members. This fund is being set up to provide very important assistance for our brother Rory, seventh in the line of 8, who has struggled since 1991 with Crohn's Colitis and several resulting surgeries, infections and many hospital stays.
Here is Rory's story: In 1994 he was diagnosed with Crohn's Colitis and began immuno-suppressant therapy to treat the multiple flare-ups he was experiencing. Each time a flare-up occurred Rory would spend several days in the hospital to recover. During the years 1994 - 2007, he struggled with the disease, missing many work days, family events, and quality of life as the disease caused him not only pain but anxiety and dispondency. He simply could not be the man he really was due to the flare-ups and resulting conditions robbing him of income, parenting experiences and life in general.
While the immuno-suppressant treatments were trying to keep the disease at bay, Rory's entire immune system was becoming greatly compromised and pneumonia and other respiratory infections resulted. At this time, Rory's doctors told him that he must discontinue the immuno-suppressant therapy due to ongoing damage to his lungs and immune system.
At that point, the disease really took hold and in 2009, Rory underwent a Colectomy, having 90% of his colon removed. A temporary Iliostomy was placed and after recovering from this surgery, his surgeon told him he was a perfect candidate for a reversal of the Iliostomy. This next surgery would allow him to live live without a "bag" and without the pain and flare-ups caused by the disease. He underwent that surgery in late 2009 and we all believed that Rory's life would greatly improve going forward.
Unfortunately, in 2010 the flare-ups returned and Rory returned to the Merry-Go-Round of hospital stays, undergoing immuno-suppressant therapy and extreme antibiotic therapy to try to get the disease, which obviously still existed in his body, under control. During this time, Rory was forced to give up the work he loved as a Counselor and Therapist working with drug addicts and felons, because he was spending so much time in the hospital trying to beat this disease. Without work, Rory's finances really began to suffer. The family has been supplementing all along due to Rory's extended hospital stays, but medical bills kept mounting, household bills were going unpaid, and Rory's home was becoming dangerously close to foreclosure.
In Spring of 2011, Rory's surgeon informed him he must undergo another major obdominal surgery where the balance of his colon and any other signs of the disease would be removed. During this surgery, Rory's small intestine would be used to reconstruct a waste pathway, thereby eliminating the need for a permanent Iliostomy ("bag") and hopefully return Rory to a healthy and productive life.
The good news was that the surgery was a success, the bad news was that 4 days into what should have been a 2 week hospital recovery stay, the reconstruction burst and Rory was found unconscious and near death in his hospital bed in the middle of the night. He was rushed to the OR, where emergency recovery surgery was performed because he had gone completely septic by this time. All of the work performed during the first surgery was removed, and doctors frantically work to cleanse Rory's abdomen of sepses that seemed to be everywhere. After the surgery, Rory spent two weeks in intensive care fighting to recover from the septic infection. Meanwhile, he was forced to come to grips with the fact that now he had a permanent Iliostomy as a result of the failed original surgery.
The saga continues to this day as while I write this, Rory once again, is on another 10 day hospital stay, while doctors try to treat ongoing MRSA and septic infection that continues to flare-up every couple of weeks. Needless to say, Rory hasn't had full-time work in several years, and now his financial condition has become extremely dire. The family continues to help as we can, but the mounting hospital and medical bills, household expenses, house payments, car maintenance and general living expenses are becoming overwhelming to Rory.
At this point, Rory continues to interview surgeons to find one who believes they can remove all signs of the disease and get him back to as much of a healthy lifestyle as is possible.
The Wagners, as a family, decided to turn to GoFundMe.com to assist Rory financially in this fight to get his life back. We very much appreciate you considering Rory's journey and his plight and thank you for your thoughts, prayers and generosity.
Thank you so much!
The Wagners
Here is Rory's story: In 1994 he was diagnosed with Crohn's Colitis and began immuno-suppressant therapy to treat the multiple flare-ups he was experiencing. Each time a flare-up occurred Rory would spend several days in the hospital to recover. During the years 1994 - 2007, he struggled with the disease, missing many work days, family events, and quality of life as the disease caused him not only pain but anxiety and dispondency. He simply could not be the man he really was due to the flare-ups and resulting conditions robbing him of income, parenting experiences and life in general.
While the immuno-suppressant treatments were trying to keep the disease at bay, Rory's entire immune system was becoming greatly compromised and pneumonia and other respiratory infections resulted. At this time, Rory's doctors told him that he must discontinue the immuno-suppressant therapy due to ongoing damage to his lungs and immune system.
At that point, the disease really took hold and in 2009, Rory underwent a Colectomy, having 90% of his colon removed. A temporary Iliostomy was placed and after recovering from this surgery, his surgeon told him he was a perfect candidate for a reversal of the Iliostomy. This next surgery would allow him to live live without a "bag" and without the pain and flare-ups caused by the disease. He underwent that surgery in late 2009 and we all believed that Rory's life would greatly improve going forward.
Unfortunately, in 2010 the flare-ups returned and Rory returned to the Merry-Go-Round of hospital stays, undergoing immuno-suppressant therapy and extreme antibiotic therapy to try to get the disease, which obviously still existed in his body, under control. During this time, Rory was forced to give up the work he loved as a Counselor and Therapist working with drug addicts and felons, because he was spending so much time in the hospital trying to beat this disease. Without work, Rory's finances really began to suffer. The family has been supplementing all along due to Rory's extended hospital stays, but medical bills kept mounting, household bills were going unpaid, and Rory's home was becoming dangerously close to foreclosure.
In Spring of 2011, Rory's surgeon informed him he must undergo another major obdominal surgery where the balance of his colon and any other signs of the disease would be removed. During this surgery, Rory's small intestine would be used to reconstruct a waste pathway, thereby eliminating the need for a permanent Iliostomy ("bag") and hopefully return Rory to a healthy and productive life.
The good news was that the surgery was a success, the bad news was that 4 days into what should have been a 2 week hospital recovery stay, the reconstruction burst and Rory was found unconscious and near death in his hospital bed in the middle of the night. He was rushed to the OR, where emergency recovery surgery was performed because he had gone completely septic by this time. All of the work performed during the first surgery was removed, and doctors frantically work to cleanse Rory's abdomen of sepses that seemed to be everywhere. After the surgery, Rory spent two weeks in intensive care fighting to recover from the septic infection. Meanwhile, he was forced to come to grips with the fact that now he had a permanent Iliostomy as a result of the failed original surgery.
The saga continues to this day as while I write this, Rory once again, is on another 10 day hospital stay, while doctors try to treat ongoing MRSA and septic infection that continues to flare-up every couple of weeks. Needless to say, Rory hasn't had full-time work in several years, and now his financial condition has become extremely dire. The family continues to help as we can, but the mounting hospital and medical bills, household expenses, house payments, car maintenance and general living expenses are becoming overwhelming to Rory.
At this point, Rory continues to interview surgeons to find one who believes they can remove all signs of the disease and get him back to as much of a healthy lifestyle as is possible.
The Wagners, as a family, decided to turn to GoFundMe.com to assist Rory financially in this fight to get his life back. We very much appreciate you considering Rory's journey and his plight and thank you for your thoughts, prayers and generosity.
Thank you so much!
The Wagners
Organizer
