Uncle Marty’s Recovery and Housing Needs

Many of you know "Uncle" Marty! This GoFundMe is for him and the kids.

On 2/3/25, Marty shared on Facebook that his landlord had sold the house, and he needed a place within Purchase Line School District. Sometime after that, Marty was issued a 10-day eviction notice, giving them until 2/28/25 to leave the house. Marty developed a very serious nosebleed on 2/21/25, was seen in the hospital around 5 a.m., and was sent home after they packed his nose. He lost about 2 units of blood that day. He was seen again on 2/22/25 because he was now coughing up blood. The hospital repacked his nose and sent him home; he lost another unit of blood. Sometime on 2/23/25, early afternoon, Marty suffered a cardiac episode and was rushed to the emergency room.

The kids and pets were immediately taken care of by family and friends. They are still with us now.

There is a whole series of hospital events that had taken place during a whirlwind of 48 hours. They say the cardiac episode was stress-induced. Marty was unconscious and life-flighted twice, once to Butler Memorial and then again to UPMC Presby. Marty was unconscious for 6 days while the doctors of UPMC fought for his life. Every day was a battle. Every day was an update of "he lived through the day."

During the timeframe Marty was unconscious, his landlord was made aware of the situation and then filed for formal eviction. The magistrate granted a court date, and the process had begun. We had met with Marty's doctors in the ICU to present the situation. They gave us a letter that allowed us to file for an extension on the eviction. The magistrate graciously granted the extension but still does not give them much time.

Marty woke up early in the afternoon on 3/1/25. There were still many unanswered questions about his health and recovery. He couldn't speak, remember, move his limbs, or even keep his blood pressure stable. There was no way of making him aware of the situation at hand. As the days went by, Marty's voice started to come back, his heart/blood pressure started to stabilize, and some of his motor skills have come back.

Today, 3/10/25, Marty is awake, his blood pressure/heart have stabilized, they've placed a pacemaker, he has been discharged from the ICU to a step-down room, he's able to sit in a chair for short periods, his memory is starting to come back, and he can talk and move his arms. Marty is getting better! He still has a long road to recovery. There's no telling when he's going to be discharged from the hospital and what the physical therapy looks like to regain his strength. By the time that happens, Marty and the kids will not have a home. We can keep filing for extensions; however, it just puts off the inevitable. The landlord needs him out for the new owner; negotiating is not an option.

We are coming to you to ask for help! Marty has been part of the community for many years and has always been everyone's "Uncle Marty." There are over 1,000 of you on just Facebook alone! I can almost bet you have some amazing, funny memory that involves him! Marty is someone who would be there for anyone; if he could give you the shirt off his back to help you, he would. Now it's time for us to help him! We want to buy Marty and the kids a house. Even if he would be allowed to keep the current one by the grace of God, he could not recover there.

Marty needs a first-floor bedroom, bathroom, laundry, and level entry. There are quite a few homes in the area that could be options, and they are affordable. Let's live by the term "many hands make light work."

I know we, as a community, can make this happen!

Please take a moment and also share this to help get it to all of Marty's connections. If you don't know Marty, that's ok too. Just trust us; you would be helping out a good person.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the situation, please direct them to Sara Puckett.