Help My Dad Walk Again

Hello, my name is Andie Knowles and this is the story of how everyone in my family went to the ER within the same week. My dad Jeffery Knowles is a self employed contractor who works hard to provide for our little family, which consist of him, my mom, Jeanne Knowles, me and our little puppy Izzie. 

It all started a couple weeks ago when my mom called me in tears because our beloved family pet Izzie needed to be rushed to the doggie ER. This dog is more than just a pet to my parents she is basically their second child. We found out Izzie is diabetic and requires insulin injections. The day we took Izzie home my mom took a hard fall and broke her ankle in three places which required surgery. Mom was on bed rest for many days to try and keep the swelling down so while she was unable to work my dad was working double time to make sure we had enough funds to pay for my moms surgery. 

Thursday July 30th, the date of my mom’s surgery,  my mom called me to say that something has happened to my dad while he was working. He had a sudden sharp pain in his hips, then his legs just stopped working. He could not move anything from the waist down. He called for help and thank god for the amazing people he was working for. (We later found out that they saved his life by giving him aspirin which thinned his blood). 

So, my grandma who was driving my mom to the hospital for her surgery, had to pick up my dad as well, to drop him off at the ER.  Once Dad was in the ER, things got worse. They found that he had a blockage in his aorta that was stopping the blood flow to his legs and if they didn’t perform immediate surgery to replace part of the aorta the blockage could move to his heart and he would die.

I was out of town and unaware of just how serious things were. My mom was already in surgery, and had no idea what my dad was going through. Soon after dad called me to say, “Just in case this surgery goes south and I don’t pull through, just know I love you and you have been the joy of my life. I didn’t get to talk to your momma before her surgery, so let her know how much I love her.” 

I drove home that night, and that was the longest drive of my life, not knowing what was going to happen with my dad and not being able to talk with my mom. When my mom got out of surgery the doctors told her what happened.  Apparently they were having surgery in rooms right next to each other, which brought my mom to tears. Thankfully, God answered our prayers and my dad made it through his surgery!

Now here's the part where we need help. The medical bills for my family are through the roof. My dad was in the ICU for about a week after his surgery.  He is now in a rehab facility until the end of August, trying to get movement back into his legs. There has been some progress but both his legs still have paralysis.  

After we get him home my dad has a long recovery ahead of him. We are unsure when he will be able to return to work. The loss of income during this time is going to make it extremely hard for us. He will also require a lot of help getting around and a lot of physical therapy. We can't afford all the treatment he will need. I know times are tough for a big majority of us today, but if anyone could donate to help us pay these crazy bills, my family, the Knowles family will be forever grateful. Thank you to everyone who has already helped us and thank you to all the doctors who fixed my mom's ankle and saved my dad’s life.