"Stay with Ray" and take a selfie!

Hi Everyone!

As you some of you may or may not know my Dad, Ray, is in congestive heart failure.  He's been fighting over the past year but unfortunately a recent fall landed him in the hospital where his condition has worsened dramatically. 

Due to his age (80) and lack of strength, the surgery necessary to save his life is out of the question.  He will be the first to tell you though that he has lived a great life with little to no regrets.  

A lot of people have asked me what they can do to help.  Originally I would say, "there is nothing to be done but thank you" however something hit me yesterday during my visit with him.  I noticed his energy and facial expressions each time someone walked through his door.  The response was always the same even if it was a perfect stranger.  With the simplest interaction such as “hello”, his whole face would light up and even if for just a moment, he seemed better.  If there was any mention of the Atlanta Falcons or yellow Labradors he would grin ear to ear!

I started looking around at all the other sick people on his floor, some of which have no visitors at all, just lying there alone. This got me thinking that perhaps the best medicine for him isn’t medicine at all; maybe it’s just good ole’ human interaction. I want my Dad to feel special in his final days and fortunately for us that is a simple as a “hello”.

So I came up with the "Stay with Ray" and take a selfie fundraiser.  How it works? Go visit Ray and just say hello.  This could be for 1 minute or 1 hour.  Next take a quick selfie with him.  Post your picture here (scroll down to the end of this text and click on the "add photos" icon)  Get creative with your selfies and try incorporating a prop or image specific to Ray.  For every picture posted $5-$10 will be donated from various restaurants and local businesses to the Happy Tails Pet Therapy Organization.  Dogs have played a very important part in my Dad's life so picking an organization that benefited animals only seemed natural.  


Ray is an avid Atlanta Falcons fan.  He loves dogs, especially labs and goldens.  He was an officer in the navy and a Sigma Nu at Colgate University.  He has his law degree from Washington and Lee and loves to talk about his time spent in the court room. 

Ray is currently in the rehab facility at PruittHealth Brookhaven, room 200.  

Other ways you can help...

-DONATE make a simple donation here (tax deductible)
-SHARE Ray's story on social media (#staywithray!) 
-VISIT Go visit Ray or someone else in the hospital and let them know you care
-EMAIL this page to all your friends (gofundme/staywithray)
-SHELFIES take one with Ray and post it here!

To learn more about Happy Tails visit https://www.happytailspets.org

Thank you for taking the time to read this; my family and I apprecaite it very much.
-Suzanne Vizethan