The Knopp Family Fund
Donation protected
Our parents need your help!!
Dad has been disabled for the majority of our childhood from an accident at work in 1992 that broke his back and caused him to have multiple back surgeries which included disc fusions, metal rods and pins. After having these surgeries, he was in a body cast for a total of over 2 years. Because of the severity of the injuries he endured and the surgeries he had to have, mom was the only one able to work. Our family made things work as well as we could with what we had.
Over the years Dad was also found to have fibromyalgia which is a condition that causes you to have chronic pain all over your body. He also suffers from cluster headaches, COPD, and diverticulitis.
In the last 2 & 1/2 years our family has taken a huge hit, especially dad. June 2016 dad had a fall at home and broke his back again, he had to have multiple surgeries, in which he had many complications. Shortly after his second surgery, he had a lot of trouble breathing. After many trips to many ER's he ended up in the ICU on a ventilator because of pneumonia. No one was sure how much time we had left with him, if any. After a week of being in the ICU, sedated and on a ventilator he he was moved to intermediate care in the hospital. Finally, another week or so later he was able to come home. Sadly, he then required around the clock care, home nurses, home oxygen, a walker/ wheelchair, physical therapists, etc. Because of dads condition mom was no longer able to work.
The family all came together and did what we could to help, physically, financially, mentally, emotionally, we did whatever we could. That being said, they were still in the hole on many things and created even more hardship since dad was not improving much. Just imagine trying to recover while knowing that financially things were really bad.
A few months after coming home from the hospital, the dermatologist found that dad had something called Squamous Cell Carcinoma. This was a large cancerous mass on dads neck, very close to his main artery that had to be removed before the cancer spread. This meant he had to have a major surgery to have it removed. But, major surgery was huge risk because of the condition his body is in. Dad had the surgery, had a long, tough road ahead of him, including another surgery to close the hole in his neck, but recovered well under the circumstances.
While we thought we were on the wonderful road of recovery and have been celebrating every day having dad still with us at the young age of 56, suddenly on July 31st, 2018 dads bowel ruptured.
Dad was taken to the ER and was rushed into emergency surgery. When the bowel ruptured, his belly filled with stool, blood and infection. Dad had to have over 12 inches of his bowel removed, and developed sepsis. He now has a colostomy bag and a drain for the infection in his abdomen. This has been a huge life change for him. He was in the hospital for two weeks fighting to get strong enough to come home. Dad weighed about 160 pounds, and now he only weighs about 112 pounds. He's dealing with the daily struggle of just trying to exist, and at the same time gain strength.
We have almost lost our dad too many times, and we watch as our mom tries her best to stay strong for dad and the family, care for him and work a full time job.
They're both trying their best to stay strong, positive and recover from the insane amount of horrible things they've gone thru. Medical bills have piled up over the past 2 & 1/2 years and now they have even more. The deck on the house is falling apart and dad is scared to death mom or one of the grandkids is going to get seriously hurt since its the main entrance to the house.
They are running low on propane, have medical bills piling up, need to have repairs done to the house, dad's 21 year old truck has no A/C, not to mention the cost of prescriptions, the list goes on and on. They are currently having to choose which medications they can afford. It kills us all to see the way things have panned out and we're only able to help so much.
Dad has never been one to ask for help, and its embarrassing for him to have to ask.
From his mouth " I need to do this for my wife of 38 years and for my grandkids"
Please help if you can! Our mom and dad need it more than you know. I want dad to be able to recover and mom to be able to care for him without having to worry about how they'll pay the mortgage, or have electric or heat, choosing medications based on cost, etc.
Its bad enough knowing that your dad has almost died multiple times and not knowing how long you have left with him because of the brutal beatings life has handed him. But watching him recover while he can't help but worry about bills, medical bills, cost of medications, house repairs, etc. has been one of the hardest things we've ever had to do.
Our dad is the most kind hearted, caring, "shirt off his back" kind of guy you'll ever meet. He doesn't deserve any of the cards he's been dealt and he certainly doesn't deserve to struggle everyday just to exist.
Please, please help! If you aren't able to donate please share with your friends and family!
Dad has been disabled for the majority of our childhood from an accident at work in 1992 that broke his back and caused him to have multiple back surgeries which included disc fusions, metal rods and pins. After having these surgeries, he was in a body cast for a total of over 2 years. Because of the severity of the injuries he endured and the surgeries he had to have, mom was the only one able to work. Our family made things work as well as we could with what we had.
Over the years Dad was also found to have fibromyalgia which is a condition that causes you to have chronic pain all over your body. He also suffers from cluster headaches, COPD, and diverticulitis.
In the last 2 & 1/2 years our family has taken a huge hit, especially dad. June 2016 dad had a fall at home and broke his back again, he had to have multiple surgeries, in which he had many complications. Shortly after his second surgery, he had a lot of trouble breathing. After many trips to many ER's he ended up in the ICU on a ventilator because of pneumonia. No one was sure how much time we had left with him, if any. After a week of being in the ICU, sedated and on a ventilator he he was moved to intermediate care in the hospital. Finally, another week or so later he was able to come home. Sadly, he then required around the clock care, home nurses, home oxygen, a walker/ wheelchair, physical therapists, etc. Because of dads condition mom was no longer able to work.
The family all came together and did what we could to help, physically, financially, mentally, emotionally, we did whatever we could. That being said, they were still in the hole on many things and created even more hardship since dad was not improving much. Just imagine trying to recover while knowing that financially things were really bad.
A few months after coming home from the hospital, the dermatologist found that dad had something called Squamous Cell Carcinoma. This was a large cancerous mass on dads neck, very close to his main artery that had to be removed before the cancer spread. This meant he had to have a major surgery to have it removed. But, major surgery was huge risk because of the condition his body is in. Dad had the surgery, had a long, tough road ahead of him, including another surgery to close the hole in his neck, but recovered well under the circumstances.
While we thought we were on the wonderful road of recovery and have been celebrating every day having dad still with us at the young age of 56, suddenly on July 31st, 2018 dads bowel ruptured.
Dad was taken to the ER and was rushed into emergency surgery. When the bowel ruptured, his belly filled with stool, blood and infection. Dad had to have over 12 inches of his bowel removed, and developed sepsis. He now has a colostomy bag and a drain for the infection in his abdomen. This has been a huge life change for him. He was in the hospital for two weeks fighting to get strong enough to come home. Dad weighed about 160 pounds, and now he only weighs about 112 pounds. He's dealing with the daily struggle of just trying to exist, and at the same time gain strength.
We have almost lost our dad too many times, and we watch as our mom tries her best to stay strong for dad and the family, care for him and work a full time job.
They're both trying their best to stay strong, positive and recover from the insane amount of horrible things they've gone thru. Medical bills have piled up over the past 2 & 1/2 years and now they have even more. The deck on the house is falling apart and dad is scared to death mom or one of the grandkids is going to get seriously hurt since its the main entrance to the house.
They are running low on propane, have medical bills piling up, need to have repairs done to the house, dad's 21 year old truck has no A/C, not to mention the cost of prescriptions, the list goes on and on. They are currently having to choose which medications they can afford. It kills us all to see the way things have panned out and we're only able to help so much.
Dad has never been one to ask for help, and its embarrassing for him to have to ask.
From his mouth " I need to do this for my wife of 38 years and for my grandkids"
Please help if you can! Our mom and dad need it more than you know. I want dad to be able to recover and mom to be able to care for him without having to worry about how they'll pay the mortgage, or have electric or heat, choosing medications based on cost, etc.
Its bad enough knowing that your dad has almost died multiple times and not knowing how long you have left with him because of the brutal beatings life has handed him. But watching him recover while he can't help but worry about bills, medical bills, cost of medications, house repairs, etc. has been one of the hardest things we've ever had to do.
Our dad is the most kind hearted, caring, "shirt off his back" kind of guy you'll ever meet. He doesn't deserve any of the cards he's been dealt and he certainly doesn't deserve to struggle everyday just to exist.
Please, please help! If you aren't able to donate please share with your friends and family!
Fundraising team (3)
Tracy Eaton
Organizer
Raised $2,220 from 27 donations
Jarrettsville, MD
Randy Knopp
Beneficiary
Randy Knopp
Team member
Raised $1,245 from 7 donations
This team raised $2,260 from 32 other donations.
