People with chronic pain need your support!

Hi my name is CaSonya Richardson-Slone. I’m starting a non profit and foundation in memory of my late husband that will help support the many needs of chronic pain patients, the disabled, and their families. Any support you can offer is greatly appreciated . This is Brent’s story.

Almost four years ago my daughter and I lost a father, husband, and best friend. Brent and I had known one another since we were teenagers. He was strong, confident, brave, adventurous, funny, and just an overall humble and down to earth person, but his most important role was father, or as the neighborhood kids called him “Cece’s dad.” Brent was an amazing father! Cece was his everything...his world, and he was hers. ❤️

Like most families we enjoyed spending lots of time together swimming, fishing, hiking, and everything in between. Brent was also an amazing cook! He insisted on cooking the Turkey every Thanksgiving even after his car accident.

In the summer of 2011, our lives were turned upside down overnight. Brent was in a horrific car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down and fighting for his life. After months of hospitalization and rehabilitation we were so happy to finally bring him home. Countless times he would say that he found the strength to survive that accident because of Cece. The years after his accident were understandably challenging at times and had their share of ups and downs, but over time we adjusted to our new normal. As Brent would say he was just “happy to still be here, and watch Cece grow.” He did everything he could to regain his health and strength.

As a family we weren’t able to do some of the things we once did together, but we still did a ton of things he could still do. Traditions and holidays were very special and important to us. Through it all Cece was Brents biggest cheerleader. She wasn’t bothered that her “Superman” dad was now in wheelchair because she loved him for him.

As the years went by Brent became very independent, and was able to use his full upper body to cook, toss Cece around, walk the dog, he even drove with hand controls that he made and installed all on his own! He was so determined to live as much of a normal and healthy life as possible!

There was only one area that Brent continued to struggle with and that was with his physical pain. From the time Brent was paralyzed and recovering in the ICU, his Dr’s made it clear that he would have to be on strong rx pain medication for the rest of his life due to breaking his spine and pelvic bone, etc. Years later Brent and I made the tough decision that it would be best that he receive inpatient care in San Diego where we had once lived for many years.

San Diego is on the cutting edge of healthcare and research for paraplegics. They were hopeful they could get Brent’s overall health where it needed to be, and they were willing to perform the surgeries that his Dr’s in Louisville were unable to perform. Brent was in San Diego for a year altogether, and was able to receive the care and surgeries that he needed. His health greatly improved and right before Cece’s 12th birthday he got the okay from his Dr’s to fly out to Louisville to surprise Cece for her birthday. Brent had a new lease on life, and he was so excited to have Cece and I join him in California. It would be just a matter of time, and we would all be back in California together.

During Brent’s visit his Dr’s in San Diego had already arranged for him to be treated by his same pain Dr’s in Louisville that had treated him for years before he left. However, his pain clinic’s focus wasn’t patient care. Their focus and business model was to get as many patients in and out of the office as quick as possible. Brent asked numerous times to be seen by has actual pain Dr. but because of their get em in get em out business model, he was told he had to see a nurse practitioner instead.

At his visit to their office Brent’s pain medication was mistakenly cut by 55% in a single visit! They accidentally put Brent on the dosage he had taken before he received his surgeries in San Diego. Brent did everything he could to get the problem with his rx medication fixed. He called their office numerous times day after day, went there in person, and I called them as well. I told his Dr’s nurse that I was very worried because Brent was in excruciating physical pain. I told her that his pain was so bad that he hadn’t eaten or slept in days. During this time Brent had also fallen out of his wheelchair and dislocated his hip bone and had to go to the emergency room to get it adjusted back in place. I told Brent’s nurse that he needed to be seen and get his rx ASAP because I was worried that “he could not go on.” She offered no patient care or compassion. Instead, she said that Brent’s Dr. had been notified and to tell my husband to stop calling and coming by their office.” She said she wasn’t going to continue reaching out to his Dr. because his Dr. was dealing with “real emergencies”.

During my very last conversation with Brent, he said I’m at the pharmacy now and I’m waiting for them to send it. In tears he said “I’m praying they send it ASAP.” In over 20 years together that was only the 3rd time I’d ever heard him cry. His pain was that bad!

Shortly after, Brent received the call he’d been waiting for, only to be told that his Dr. refused to send his pain rx, but would instead see Brent at his next appointment in 6 days. This meant that Brent, who had been on pain medication for almost 7 years, would now have to wait almost a week to be seen in their office with zero pain medication!

Imagine suffering in severe pain, every nerve in your body feels like it’s on fire, you’ve gone to the emergency room 4 times only to be told to see your pain Dr. within 24 hours, but your pain Dr. refuses to see or treat you. Feeling defeated, abandoned, and left in excruciating physical pain Brent could no longer go on, just as I had told his Dr’s nurse. Brent sent a text to Cece, me, his dad, sister, brother, and his best friend JJ in California telling us he loved us always. Brent texted me twice. He said “they denied my script, I’m done.” His last text said “love you always.”

I can’t begin to imagine the amount of pain Brent must have been in to take his life that day. Brent and I both had a VERY close dear friend that had taken his life when we both were in our early twenties. The suicide of our dear friend shook us both to our core so years later when Brent become paralyzed he promised me that he would never put Cece and I through what he and I went through when we lost our dear friend to suicide. For Brent to take his life, knowing the grief and emotional pain Cece and I would face without him, let’s me know that he was physically suffering more than most people could ever comprehend.

This is such a personal story and I know that very few of you know Brent’s story, but I’m sharing his story because Brent deserved better. We all do! Brent wanted to be heard and treated like a human being, as he should have been, but instead his pain Dr’s held all the cards and they put Brent in a impossible situation to get out of. Brent deserved to be treated with care, compassion, empathy, and he deserved quality patient care, but instead he was was tossed aside because he was a middle-class, disabled paraplegic. In the eyes of Brent’s pain clinic, he was just a number that could be tossed aside until it was convenient for them!

After Brent passed, I was left in a fog. My main focus was on our daughter and her emotional wellbeing, however I kept thinking of something my dad and mom said to me the day they left after Brent’s funeral. My dad who was once a civil rights activist told me to remain strong, and no matter what to “always remember that life goes on” and my mother’s words reminded me of what I had to do for Brent and our family.

Shortly after the funeral as I was staring off in a daze feeling exhausted, tired, and defeated my mom said “it’s okay to grieve, but if I know you, I know you’re gonna fight for what they did to Brent because he deserved better and what they did to him was wrong!” My parents obviously know me better than I know myself. In that moment I knew what I had to do. A few weeks later my sister-in-law, Brent’s sister reached out to me and asked if I was planning on talking to any attorney’s. I told her yes. She said she knew an attorney that she had graduated with that went to our high school in our home town, and that he was a very good attorney.

A few weeks later I meet with Hans Poppe with The Poppe Law Firm. I sat across the table in his conference room and poured my heart out to him! I told him everything that happened to Brent just as I’m sharing it now. Hans was professional, honest, and compassionate and to my surprise he agreed to take the case!

That was almost 4 years ago! Through those years Hans and his team have supported me through my worst days, frustrations, fears and tears, but they never gave up! They worked countless hours gathering all the information and research they needed to take Brent’s case to trial. I can’t begin to tell you how much work goes into going to trial for the plaintiff. I also couldn’t have imagined how his pain clinic would attempt to twist the truth to get out of ANY responsibility for Brent’s death.

Our trial lasted for two weeks, and the only way I can describe what happened in that courtroom is to say it was like a legal war of good vs. evil! From the beginning arguments to the closing arguments Hans Poppe and his brilliant team left no rock unturned, and they didn’t have to twist any truths. We had the evidence and the truth on our side! You would think that would be enough, but over 80% of the time patients and their families lose against medical practices and hospitals.

I’m very happy to say they’re efforts and hard work was not in vain because this past Friday, on the last day of trial, 12 jurors deliberated and came back with a unanimous verdict that my husband’s pain clinic and physicians were found guilty across the board! Including punitive damages.

Words can’t express how thankful my daughter and I are for all of the hard work, time, compassion, and effort that Hans and his dream team have shown our family! It’s a bittersweet victory because of course we would much rather have Brent here with us, but I’m so thankful that this nightmare is behind us! Good will come out of Brent’s tragedy.

Over the last few months we had to relive everything we went through when we lost Brent. We shed our fair share of tears. There were some days I thought this is way too hard for me to do on my own, but I remembered my parents’ words, and I realized that I wasn’t alone because Hans Poppe and his team believed in Brent’s case and they were fighting for him too. Plus I had the support of my faith, church, family, and close friends. We thank each of you.

We now have a sense of peace that we haven’t had since before Brent passed away. We also have a sense of closure and renewed faith in humanity and our legal justice system. None of this would have been possible without the support and legal expertise of everyone at The Poppe Law Firm.

Today starts my new mission of starting a nonprofit in Brent’s memory to support the disabled community and their families. Our medical system is broken in America! Quality patient care should be the priority not revenue! No one should ever have to go through what Brent and our family went through. No one should ever be treated lesser than because of their disability, or socioeconomic background, etc.

Moving forward...it’s my honor to share Brent’s story, and it’s my mission to make sure that those that need it most get the help, love, and support they need and deserve. This is Brent’s story. We finally have justice for Brent!!! ❤️✨#justice #truth #peace #compassion #brentstory #justiceforbrent