Help Dave Neuman Adapt to Blindness

Hi! This is Wendy Roberts. Dave Neuman has been my friend and surrogate big brother for over 40 years. He has always shown up, cracked up, loved up, and supported my family and anyone lucky enough to come into his circle. If you know Dave, you know that he is the first guy to offer help, crack a joke, or give a hug - that's just who he is.

And now he needs our help.

Last month, Dave was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. A devastating diagnosis - but treatable, right? Dave and Heather carefully reviewed all of their options and decided that surgery was the best option - get that cancer OUT! On June 1, Dave went into surgery, which involved having him inverted on the operating table with his feet above his head. This surgery (expected to be 4-6 hours) turned into a 10+ hour surgery. Because he was inverted for such a long time, and because that position resulted in a change of pressure to his eyes, his optic nerves were starved of oxygen and died.

Dave woke up from surgery completely, totally, irreversibly BLIND. Devastating. He also has neuropathy in his hands and still has not regained use of his left hand. Overwhelming. He has not been able to even think about the next stages of cancer treatment yet.

Dave has the MOST AMAZING wife and kids and they have stepped up and stepped in, just as we knew they would. But now Dave needs our help. It's our turn to show up, love up, and support the Neuman family as they transition through this shattering diagnosis and adapt to their "new normal."

What can we do?

First - PRAY.

We serve a God of miracles and NOTHING is impossible with God - we know He can heal Dave - that is our first prayer. We can also pray for wisdom and guidance for Heather, Brandon, and Brittany as they navigate the medical and legal ramifications of Dave's blindness. We can pray for all of them to continue to stay strong as a family, bind together, and grow through this experience. We can pray for them to cope with the grief, the loss, and all the feelings that come along with that. Please PRAY.

Next - GIVE.

Obviously, Dave will not be returning to work. Heather is so stressed out trying to continue working as well as stepping up to be the primary provider, caregiver, and home manager - it is completely overwhelming. Navigating the system for disability, social security, etc. is also such a convoluted mess and takes forever.

Where will your money go?

1. Day to day bills and expenses - pay the mortgage, electric bill, etc. Buy groceries, toilet paper - the necessities of life.

2. Adaptive equipment - we know that there are options - technology, adaptive devices, etc. for the blind, but they aren't free and they certainly are not cheap. We want Dave to have EVERY advantage, EVERY opportunity, EVERY chance to regain independence - that is not free.

3. Uncovered medical expenses - Dave and Heather will not rest until they have exhausted every avenue for a cure - if there is any chance of regaining any part of his vision, they need to explore it. We do not want them to be held back because of cost.

Please consider giving to support our friend, Dave.


**When you donate - it will say the proceeds are going to me - they are not - I can't figure out how to change this.  100% of the money raised will be going to the Neuman family