Support for my dad, Bobby Bishop.. the “Bobcat”

Hi, my name is Liz and I am seeking financial support for my father

My Dad has never liked to ask for help with anything. He has spent his over 30 year career helping others, not just healthcare wise.. but anyone that needed a helping hand or was in a tight spot, hungry or just needing a ear to talk to.

My dad has had a long, wonderful and tough at times career. He started at Huntsville Hospital in 1988 and was in the scrub tech program. He worked the 89 Tornado and stayed past his shift till things were stabilized, and that work ethic never ceased throughout his career. He has scrubbed all services, but enjoyed Ortho the most. In 1990 he felt like he had arrived when he got the infamous nickname of “Bobcat” from the late and great Dr. Horn, (and he did not hand those out easily) so to him it was like getting a medal of honor. My dad was surprised with Employee of the Month for Huntsville Hospital in December 1992. In his mind it was a collective effort and honor given from the people that he worked with tirelessly.

To my dad, the most exciting and rewarding part of his work started in 1994 with Dr. Mark Leberte. They had a great, and infamous work chemistry and he learned quickly how to be a good extender to what Dr. Leberte did and what was best for the patients. The Trauma program started in 95 and the hospital wanted dedicated Orthopedist. Collectively, it was not received positively, but Dr. Leberte talked with my dad about it and that’s when Ortho Trauma started.

Lots of on call hours, on top of regular hours of work.. blood, sweat and tears went into years of his career. My dad went days without being home.. but he always felt very rewarded to know that the community and surrounding areas had quality Orthopedic Care. And now present day, The Ortho Trauma team has grown, with dedicated surgeons and extenders.. and it is by far a program to be modeled after.

Prior to his long, kick ass career.. my dad had a car wreck in 1985. He sustained numerous injuries, mostly to his neck.. but worked through these issues (as detailed above). Around 1995 he had his first cervical spine surgery that helped his issues, but continuous operating room work, etc.. led him to another neck surgery in 2008. In the Fall of 2020, my dad started to experience neurological issues but carried on without any fix, with the mindset of his devotion to his doctors and teammates.. he did not want to consider another surgery that could possibly take him away from his career and his passion.

Increasing symptoms started in November of 2020, and into the spring of 2021. He then sought out insight from close colleagues Dr. John Johnson and Leonard Z, his PA. He tried to make it through the summer of 2021 working, also mowing grass with his brother as he regularly did, not leaving the OR or his family without his support. Difficulties arose in the OR as time continued and intervention was finally sought after.

My dad was diagnosed with Cervical Myelopathy and Stenosis at C2-C4 that was causing spinal compression. Dr. Johnson wanted a stat intervention, and my dads first surgery was in December of 2021. This surgery went well and relieved his Myelopathy symptoms, but all issues were not resolved. A second surgery was required to go posterior and decompress the C8 nerve root and C7.. followed by fusion and hardware from C2 to T2 to provide stability and regain left arm function. This surgery went well but now has deemed him disabled. A career he has put so much passion into for half his life has now come to a heartbreaking end for him.

FMLA and short term disability have expired. He has applied for SSDI, but the process is long and flawed .. those of you who have dealt with them knows what I mean. With expiration of those benefits and using all ETO, no income is now coming in. Loss of insurance and now having to pay Cobra rate for health.. depletion of funds is happening quickly.

Per my dad, “My kids and grandkids are my focus now. It consumes me to try and make sure they’re okay as my daughter and two grandsons reside with me at my home”

Any support will be used for medical and living necessities, only until disability is available. The future date for that to kick in is unknown.

Thank you for reading, and your support. My dad is known and loved by many and I wanted to put his story out there. Please feel free to look through pictures I have included, as I feel they sum up his story described above. Most of them you can see him in work scrubs, as a kid I can’t remember seeing him in much else. Pictures of him and Dr. Leberte, past and present day. Photos with friends, doctors, and colleges. Decked out in his Auburn gear, some with his family and grandchildren, etc.

He loves every one of you very much.