Hello, this is Ryane, Bob Setterlund’s daughter. As many of you are aware, on August 4, 2024, my dad went in for a carotid endarterectomy to have the plaque removed from his carotid artery. The procedure was to last only a couple of hours; he was to spend the night and be discharged the next morning.

Well, that never happened. During the procedure, my dad suffered multiple devastating strokes throughout his brain. With a ventilator keeping him alive, he stayed in the ICU at Mass General Boston for a few months. Those few months were the absolute scariest of times, not knowing if my dad would survive. And he did! But oh, what a long, hard, difficult road it has been.

Bob had to learn to speak again. Learn to use his arms—he could barely grasp my finger. He had to learn to walk again and rebuild his cognition. With the help and support of Spaulding Rehabilitation in Cambridge, he worked hard to gain his strength.

Then, after a few months at Spaulding, he had to go to a step-down facility, and that’s how he ended up at his current nursing home, Cambridge Rehab and Nursing, which has been an absolute nightmare. No support. No communication. My dad is miserable and very depressed. We have been trying for the last few months to get him back home with services in his house. But there was an issue with his insurance, which we were not aware of until his nursing home told me he has over an $18,000 balance! I have been trying to get him on MassHealth Standard so he can come home with services in place, but the nursing home had other plans and decided to go to court and ask for conservatorship over him, and they were awarded temporary conservatorship until June 3, 2025. Now the nursing home has taken all the money out of his bank account and redirected his SSI monthly checks, so now my dad has lost all his money!

That is why I am asking for help! My dad has gone through so much and all he wants is to return to his house. To see me and Cam. To see his friends and neighbors. But now we have to hire a lawyer to fight the temporary conservatorship. In order for his apartment to be safe for him to return to, he needs a new bed. He needs a new sofa. He needs services in place with skilled nursing to help him throughout the day. His nursing home lost all his clothes and belongings, including his eyeglasses and hearing aids, so they need to be replaced. Without his monthly SSI income, his rent is overdue and he is on the verge of losing his apartment. I have been trying to pay for his other monthly bills, but it is becoming too overwhelming.

For all the people lucky enough to know my dad—you know his huge heart! The love he has for his family and friends. His big smile and fun sense of humor. And you all know that he is the first person to help someone in need. He would literally give the shirt off his back to a stranger.

Now my dad is in need, so I please ask for your help by donating and sharing Bob's GoFundMe, so we can get him back home where he belongs.

Thank you