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SexyStrong Foundation

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Greetings Friends and Family,

As all of you know, our dear friend David “Big Sexy” Caristi received a double leg amputation in April of 2017 and due to complications of the surgery spent a month in ICU and many months thereafter in different stages of inpatient rehabilitation. David is now home and able to care for himself while the last of his leg wounds and pressure ulcers heal. Shortly, David will be fitted for his Prosthetics  and will have to relearn to walk, drive and function in his everyday life with his new legs.


Why we need help:

Unfortunately, this type of life-changing incident and the subsequent care needed do not come cheap. David’s first hospital bills were for over $837,000.00 dollars and have since skyrocketed to well over a million dollars. While David did have insurance through work he was on the lowest tiered plan that the extent of what they will pay and what David’s financial obligation may be are still undetermined. Being a healthy and able 40 year old man, David had not signed up for Long-term Disability, nor did he have coverage for any “accidental death or dismemberment” (A lesson to us all come next open-enrollment period at your jobs)   David’s financial status going forward is uncertain. His expenses will continue to grow, many of which we find out as he goes (housing, transportation, prosthetics, wheelchairs, future surgeries related to his condition, or new health issues as a result of.) We are unsure of David’s Long-term disability status and when or if he will be able to return to work.


How you can help:

 Knowing of David’s financial burden and knowing what a large, strong, friend and family base he has, A few of us have come together and worked to create a 501c3 (tax exempt) charity organization in David (Big Sexy’s) name. It is called the “SexyStrong Foundation Inc.”. We are asking for your help via donations through gofundme.com. All donations will be tax-deductible and in some cases you may be able to have your employer match your contribution! (This varies from company to company, please contact your employers Human Resource Department to find out if they participate) Anything you can afford will help us reach our goal. With your support David will not have to stress or worry about his financial future and will be able to afford and take the next steps he need to regain normalcy at his own pace. As a 501c3 non-profit charity we intend to give a small portion of our proceeds to other similar charities in which Big Sexy and those comprising the #SexyStrong Foundatioh hold near and dear to our hearts. We intend to help both the #BostonStrong and #VegasStrong survivors and families.


The Inspiration Behind SexyStrong : David 'Big Sexy' Caristi

After a recent excursion to Ireland for St. Patrick's day, Dave developed a double foot infection after getting some standard issue hiking/sightseeing type blisters from his boots. He returned home and treated his feet accordingly doing all the proper first aid and wound care. As days became a week or two he sought out quick care and a course of oral antibiotics. As this seemed to do the trick he continued his normal day-to-day and thought not much of it.

Unfortunately, this was no everyday infection, it was a rare strain of MRSA that caused necrotizing fasciitis. So although the wounds appeared to be healing externally, the real damage was occurring beneath the skin... David presented to the ER on a friday night and on the following monday was given the prognosis that in order to save his life that both his legs would need to be amputated. We sought second, third, fourth and fifth opinions on this but his team of specialist were adamant and correct, this was truly a life or limb situation. David, being an intelligent, rational and sane healthcare professional made the toughest decision of his life and gave the go ahead to perform the surgery.

The surgery itself went off without a hitch but David developed an unexpected complication called Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). This is his body’s response to the trauma of the amputations and caused his lungs to become inflamed and fill with fluid. Dave was intubated and placed in a medically induced sleep in ICU for almost 4 weeks while his team of specialists did everything in their power to buy him the time to heal. Once they were able to stabilize him, he was woken up and weaned to a tracheostomy. He made progress every day and is slowly regained his ability to move and speak. In June he had progressed well enough to move to an intermediate care facility where they were able to wean him entirely from the ventilator while focusing on his physical, occupational and speech therapy until he became strong enough to be able complete 3 hours of physical therapy a day. At that point he moved again to a true rehabilitation facility where he continued to focus on healing and exercise to regain the strength and mobility he would need to be discharged and begin the next phase of his life. He was discharged from inpatient physical therapy in August and continues to work with his physical therapists at home and as an outpatient. Currently, David has been fitted for his Prosthetics and will have to relearn to walk, drive and function in his everyday life with his new legs. 

Big Sexy is the strongest, most focused, determined and stubborn individual I have ever met and if anyone has the fortitude to overcome this and persevere; it is him. David has an incredible family and friend support network I implore you all to show your love and support for him via this GoFundMe support page that we have setup as well as the facebook support page. Please add/share with anyone who knows BS to send prayers, well-wishes or support of any kind.     #SexyStrong Foundation  #Believe  #NewBeginning  #KY4LIFE  #PTYTB
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Donations 

  • Marie Caristi
    • $250
    • 4 yrs
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SEXYSTRONG Foundation
Organizer
Henderson, NV

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