Warner Macbeth Recovery Fund

Hello Everyone!
Our friend and co-worker has fallen on really rough times due to serious medical and health issues. Please take a moment of your day to read through this explanation of events that led to Warner's current condition. I asked him to write this up so I did not incorrectly describe the situation. His letter pretty much sums it up. Things like this can happen to any of us or our family at any time. I hope if something were to happen to me I could be given hope by friends, family and even strangers doing what they can to help me heal and support my family. It's hard, really really hard to ask for help but it shouldn't be! Let's all do what we can to help our friend Warner get back on his feet again (LITERALLY!) so he can continue to work and support his wife and daughters and grandsons.

On or near the 4th of April this year 2018, I contracted an infection in my left index finger, which in turn lead to blood poisoning that almost killed me. This infection was so rare that the hand surgeon who had to operate on my finger to keep me from losing it, had never even heard of it. There are only 2 antibiotics in the world that will work on this strain of infection. The infection traveled throughout my whole body causing me to go deaf in my left ear and also weakened  the vertebrae in my L-1 thru L-5 area of my spine where I had previously had a Laminectomy surgery to relieve the pressure on my nerves, due to the fact that all of my disc’s in that section have been blown out. The L-2 and L-3 vertebrae completely broke and slipped and are now 19mm out of alignment causing my spinal column to become smashed almost totally flat between the 2 vertebrae’s. I am now confined to a wheelchair and am on long term disability from work and unable to take care of myself. I was scheduled for surgery to fuse the L-2 and L-3 vertebrae together when the surgeon looked at my CT scan and decided there was more damage to my spine than the MRI had shown, so he then recommended that I go to the University of Utah Neurological  dept. to have them make diagnosis of the damage and to also have them do the surgery. I was then sent by the U of U doctors for a bone density test and then diagnosed with Osteopenia, which is the condition just prior to Osteoporosis. So they then referred me back to my family Dr. to receive these specialty shots of a drug called Forteo to help in the strengthening of my bones and allow them to become strong enough to hold the hardware they need to put in my back to repair it so that I can work and take care of myself and my family. They need to put rods in my back on both sides of all my “L” Vertebrae and then put screws threw the Vertebrae to anchor them to the rods to keep my spine straight and in alignment and again allow me to walk and work again. Attached is a picture of my misaligned L-2 and L-3 Vertebrae’s. The problem I am having is that the insurance wants me to take some kind of oral Bisphosphonate for a year to see if it will work prior to allowing me to have the injections of the Forteo. The problem is I don’t have a year to wait for the pills as I am unemployable right now due to this condition and need the injections which will work in 2-3 months. The shots are $3000.00 to $4,000.00 a month and insurance won’t pay for them. As it is I am already on disability only receiving 60% of my base pay and that doesn’t even cover my house payments and utilities Dr. bills and etc… Any help that anyone is willing to give would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Warner W. Macbeth