Sam Wallis' Medical Bills and Rehab

Aloha Friends and Family,

This is Jennifer and Sarah, we decided to start this campaign on behalf of our parents, Sam and Sandy Wallis. As you may or may not have heard, our dad has had a series of medical emergencies in the past few months. It started with a fall off a ladder back in July. Our dad was preparing the house for the remnants of a hurricane and the winds that were supposed to come with it. He was up on a ladder to batten down the hatches, when he fell and hit his head, splitting it open. Our mom was not home at the time, but thankfully our neighbor was driving by and saw our dad laying there. This was the first ambulance ride. Our mom met him at the hospital, where they performed some diagnostics and stapled his head shut. He had another incident which landed him back in the ER for excessive bleeding on his head.

Fast forward a few months and our dad became sick with a fever and sore throat (Tuesday, Oct.3) . Our mom noticed he was starting to get loopy and having difficulty finding the right words. She drove him immediately to the ER. The CT scan revealed that he had a subdural hematoma (a collection of blood that forms on the surface of the brain), which was affecting his speech, and on top of that tested positive for COVID. They kept him at Hilo Medical Center over night, so they could prepare the transport team to take him to Queens on Oahu (Wed. Oct. 4). He was transported via ambulance to the airport and then boarded the air ambulance and flown to Queens Medical Center on Oahu. He needed surgery to relieve the hematoma from his brain, which was causing the loss of speech/words. His surgery went well (Sat. Oct. 7) and he is on the mend.

Due to the fact that he also has COVID, he has some breathing issues, and they are not letting him have any visitors. This is the hardest part. We want to be there with him, but the hospital protocol is that he needs to have two negative COVID tests before he has visitors. We have been in touch regularly with the medical staff. We have not been given a release date, as it is too soon to tell when he can go home. Our mom is stressed, as we all are, about this situation. Not being able to be there and reassure our dad that all will be ok, and just to be there to advocate for him, has been very difficult for our family. The looming medical bills are another stressor. Our parents have health insurance, but if you've ever had surgery or a hospital stay, then you know that 100 percent is not covered. Our parents are on a fixed income and these bills will be difficult to manage. Jen and I are helping in anyway we can, and we were hoping we could have some additional support from you, our family and friends. Prayers, kind words, or any monetary donations would be greatly appreciated!

We don't know how long this road to recovery will be, and we'll post an update as soon as we know more.

Mahalo Nui Loa!

Jen & Sarah