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On Wednesday, July 29, 2020 around 6:30 p.m. Dustin slipped and fell about 10-12 feet from his deck. We were fortunate that Eli, Garrett, and Brooklyn were home and responded quickly to his call for help. Dustin had emergency surgery Wednesday night due to four broken vertebrae. He had two rods put in place as some of the vertebrae were shattered. He also sustained a severe spinal cord injury, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He spent a week at the hospital in Kansas City.
On Wednesday, August 5th, he was flown to Denver, Colorado’s Craig's Rehabilitation which is ranked #8 in the United States for spinal cord injury. The staff at Craig have been amazing! With many hours of PT and OT each weekday, they are teaching Dustin how to live life independently once he leaves their facility. His determination and resolve are inspiring! It is amazing to see how much strength he builds back each day!
Dustin is always offering a helping hand to those in need, and right now he and The Callahan family need your help!
It is unknown how long Dustin will be unable to work. While Dustin is in Craig Hospital, it will be necessary for Heather to be there with him as often as possible so that she can be a support and also learn how to navigate life beyond the hospital. Their medical needs will not stop once they leave Denver. Dustin will need to continue rehab care in Kansas City once he arrives back home.
For the foreseeable future, the family will be a one income family. Although they do have insurance, as we all know, our insurance systems are not adequate and will still leave them with a crippling amount of medical debt.
Their lives have been changed in an instant. One way we can help is to bring relief financially during this time.
After the accident, there was urgency in his timeline. It was urgent the paramedics arrive and get him to the hospital in a timely manner to alleviate further consequences of his injury. Once at the hospital, it was urgent that he have surgery that night to bring hope to the possibility of function below his waist again one day. Once he had surgery, the surgeon insisted that it was urgent that he get to a rehab facility, as his quality of life would depend on getting him there as quickly as possible. Once the facility had an opening, the amount of time it took to get him there was urgent as to not sustain further injuries to his spinal cord. The medic flight was necessary because any longer on his back and more injuries could occur. And now the next urgent matter is his home renovation!
Dustin will be coming home on OCTOBER 1st! We have 43 days and counting to raise $10,000 for his home to be renovated in such away that allows him to actually get inside of it and to access some of the spaces we take for granted, such as the restroom and living space.
The immediate needs are the following:
Need # 1-Medic Flight to Denver $7,000 (Need has been met! We couldn't have done this without you!)
Need # 2-Renovating The Callahan house to accommodate wheel chair access $10,000
Need # 3-Daily Costs while at Craig. The facility offers 30 days free for the caretaker. After that, it's $73/day. Totalling $2,190 (Need has been met by a generous donor!!!)
Need # 4-Medical bills (those are starting to come in already and Heather isn't able to be back at work yet.)Amount unknown at this time. You know how it goes; ambulance bill, hospital bill, doctor bill, surgeon bill, etc.... They may not know the total for many months to come.
To be honest, it's not easy for Dustin and Heather to ask for help. So, that's why we started Team Callahan. They are always the ones reaching out to others in need and it's extremely humbling to be on the other side.
Please share this GoFundMe page and consider contributing to his fund to help support his family in their daily needs, construction costs and many medical costs that will not be covered by insurance. Every little bit helps.
If Electronic Giving brings you some anxiousness, you can send donations to:
Team Callahan
C/O Heather Callahan
P.O. Box 14362
Parkville, MO 64152
We are believing in the healing power of God to give the doctor's wisdom in his case and internal healing in Dustin's body.
Dustin and his family are so appreciative of the outpouring of support and love they have already received. Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity too. You can follow his journey on CaringBridge at this link: Dustins Caring Bridge
On Wednesday, August 5th, he was flown to Denver, Colorado’s Craig's Rehabilitation which is ranked #8 in the United States for spinal cord injury. The staff at Craig have been amazing! With many hours of PT and OT each weekday, they are teaching Dustin how to live life independently once he leaves their facility. His determination and resolve are inspiring! It is amazing to see how much strength he builds back each day!
Dustin is always offering a helping hand to those in need, and right now he and The Callahan family need your help!
It is unknown how long Dustin will be unable to work. While Dustin is in Craig Hospital, it will be necessary for Heather to be there with him as often as possible so that she can be a support and also learn how to navigate life beyond the hospital. Their medical needs will not stop once they leave Denver. Dustin will need to continue rehab care in Kansas City once he arrives back home.
For the foreseeable future, the family will be a one income family. Although they do have insurance, as we all know, our insurance systems are not adequate and will still leave them with a crippling amount of medical debt.
Their lives have been changed in an instant. One way we can help is to bring relief financially during this time.
After the accident, there was urgency in his timeline. It was urgent the paramedics arrive and get him to the hospital in a timely manner to alleviate further consequences of his injury. Once at the hospital, it was urgent that he have surgery that night to bring hope to the possibility of function below his waist again one day. Once he had surgery, the surgeon insisted that it was urgent that he get to a rehab facility, as his quality of life would depend on getting him there as quickly as possible. Once the facility had an opening, the amount of time it took to get him there was urgent as to not sustain further injuries to his spinal cord. The medic flight was necessary because any longer on his back and more injuries could occur. And now the next urgent matter is his home renovation!
Dustin will be coming home on OCTOBER 1st! We have 43 days and counting to raise $10,000 for his home to be renovated in such away that allows him to actually get inside of it and to access some of the spaces we take for granted, such as the restroom and living space.
The immediate needs are the following:
Need # 1-Medic Flight to Denver $7,000 (Need has been met! We couldn't have done this without you!)
Need # 2-Renovating The Callahan house to accommodate wheel chair access $10,000
Need # 3-Daily Costs while at Craig. The facility offers 30 days free for the caretaker. After that, it's $73/day. Totalling $2,190 (Need has been met by a generous donor!!!)
Need # 4-Medical bills (those are starting to come in already and Heather isn't able to be back at work yet.)Amount unknown at this time. You know how it goes; ambulance bill, hospital bill, doctor bill, surgeon bill, etc.... They may not know the total for many months to come.
To be honest, it's not easy for Dustin and Heather to ask for help. So, that's why we started Team Callahan. They are always the ones reaching out to others in need and it's extremely humbling to be on the other side.
Please share this GoFundMe page and consider contributing to his fund to help support his family in their daily needs, construction costs and many medical costs that will not be covered by insurance. Every little bit helps.
If Electronic Giving brings you some anxiousness, you can send donations to:
Team Callahan
C/O Heather Callahan
P.O. Box 14362
Parkville, MO 64152
We are believing in the healing power of God to give the doctor's wisdom in his case and internal healing in Dustin's body.
Dustin and his family are so appreciative of the outpouring of support and love they have already received. Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity too. You can follow his journey on CaringBridge at this link: Dustins Caring Bridge
Organizer and beneficiary
Heather Callahan
Beneficiary