Support for The Drymans

I am writing to help support a fellow co-worker and friend. Her name is Heather Dryman and she is married with three beautiful children. Jordyn,the youngest, is 8, Aubrey is 9 and Tre' is 22 years old. Her oldest child, Tre' (tray), was born with Cerebral Palsy and is totally dependent on others. He can't walk or talk, he eats via G-Tube through his stomach, he is wheelchair bound and non-verbal. He has a big personality and everybody he comes in contact with is drawn to his infectious smile. Heather and Chris have both raised Tre' together and have taken excellent care of him throughout his life. 

The support this family needs is for Tre'. He has recently been released from the hospital after a 3 week stay in ICU then an additional 6 weeks on a medical unit, 9 Main at Midtown Medical Center, where Heather has been a Registered Nurse for the last 10 years. He received fantastic care while at the hospital but at his discharge the families' hands were tied. Heather and Chris were distraught when they were faced with the reality that Tre' would not be coming home from the hospital as his care became too complex. During this hospital stay Tre' received a tracheostomy after having multiple seizures that resulted in a blocked airway. The seizures are under control now but due to having a new trach and the complications that can arise with it, he needed 24 hour nursing care. This was not possible considering Heather and Chris both have full-time jobs. It was at this point that Heather and Chris reluctantly decided to put Tre' in a local nursing home until he was better. It was a 3 minute drive from their house and in speaking with the administration there, they felt confident that he would be cared for but still had extreme hesitation.

After promises were made by the facility, Heather and Chris saw first hand that their son's needs were not being met. The fear of something bad happening to him became too overwhelming for the family. After speaking with the staff of that nursing home and realizing that they were not able to care for him in the way he needed, Heather, along with family and a very close friend, packed up his things and took him home. Tre' was only there for 30 hours. Not knowing what to do next was not their concern at that time, their son's safety was the first priority and because they are devoted, loving parents they did not look into the future of what was to be.

Heather called her boss that night and immediately informed her of what took place. She was encouraged to file for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and was immediately excused from work. Tre' is now receiving the 24 hour care that he needs at home from Heather. However, there are still supplies that he needs that his insurance will not pay for such as Boost Plus for his feedings, the feeding bags, G-tube supplies, trach supplies and the list goes on. They are currently supporting the household without Heather's paycheck coming into the home. There is not enough time built up in her FMLA and their daily bills are going to still come in without fail.

I am reaching out to you for the sake of my friend and her husband who have done everything right by their son but cannot seem to get the support they need. Every little bit helps. If we learn anything from this story it would be how to love unconditionally and how to go to any extreme for those we love. I believe this family is the perfect example. Heather is too proud to ask for help so I thought I would do it for her. After all, those of you who know Heather know she would never show her everyday stressors. She always comes to work with a smile on her face and has the ability to always make others around her laugh. If anybody deserves a "break", it is this family.

After all, how can this precious child not warm your heart?!