Ron Scafone Memorial, Medical/Hospice Expenses
Donation protected
On May 15, 2017, at age 73, Ron Scafone fell down his front steps, landing on his head. He lay at the bottom of the steps by himself with a broken neck, six broken ribs, and his head split open all the way down the back. In a perfect display of his lifelong “shake it off” grit and strength, he managed to crawl back up the steps, open his front door, make it to his bedroom, which was at the back of the house and lay down on his bed. That is where he lay until a neighbor noticed his car had not moved by mid-afternoon the following day. He went on to spend a total of 93 days in two different hospitals, surviving grave hospital errors in care and overmedication, being released to rehab with his neck still broken and emergency surgery to fuse his neck at a second hospital.
As many of you know, Rio (his daughter) and Sean (his son-in-law) have cared for Ron since his catastrophic accident. They have been his sole advocates and have left no stone unturned, no doctor unquestioned and no possibility unexplored. They desperately searched to find the latest medical advances to help his brain heal while simultaneously caring for their young daughter who has Autism. Through tireless and selfless dedication and commitment they were able to help Ron regain the ability to speak, walk, regain partial memory and recognition of faces and relationships for days, weeks or months at a time. Thousands of you have followed their journey over the last two and a half years and have shared in their triumphs, setbacks, and inspiring moments. Rio's father fought hard to come back, defying all odds prompting hospital staff to refer to him as “Superman”. Many of you have witnessed the beauty of their unconditional love for a man who spent his entire life working hard to provide for others.
Ron developed aspirational pneumonia due to negligence while under skilled nursing care. He was rushed to the hospital on Christmas morning, lethargic and nearly unresponsive. Rio and Sean (and their daughter Sophia) have hardly left his side and have fought gallantly to ensure medical staff were doing all they could and once again have left no stone unturned in trying to find a solution. Despite Ron being the fighter he is, defying the doctors’ expectations, trying to sit up, speak, even kissing Rio on the cheek and smiling despite horrific coughing fits due to the pneumonia, sadly, a cure is not to be. After exhaustive days of consulting with the medical team, Rio and Sean had to make the gut-wrenching decision to move Ron into Hospice.
As of today, Jan 12, 2020, he is in his final days if not hours.
As if this time is not already difficult enough, many of you have followed the news earlier this year of a local contractor who stole nearly all of Ron's remaining possessions from Ron’s beloved machine shop, Flynn Machine Products which was in operation until his accident. Rio and Sean were working on liquidating the industrial machinery in Ron’s shop in order to help pay for Ron’s increasing care needs and end of life care.
A contractor offered to help find buyers for the specialty machinery while Rio and Sean were consumed with her father's care and the needs of their young daughter who is on the Autism Spectrum. The contractor stole and sold the most valuable machines and possessions along with personal property that had been in the family for generations. He also stripped electrical and other materials from the building for scrap, destroying the entire shop in the process.
Not only did this man knowingly rob a dying man of his last remaining possessions, he stole Rio and Sean’s ability to pay for Ron's end of life care and funeral expenses. They have depleted their savings over the last two and a half years to ensure he was properly cared for as well as the expenses that come with having a child with special needs.
Ronald Scafone has always been a fighter. He started working at age 14 to help support his parents and his six siblings while going to school. He worked hard, sweeping floors at Flynn Machine Products, and took on the responsibility willingly to help his family. Ron went on to learn how to cut and craft chunks of steel under the watchful eye of the shop owner and mentor, Bill Rogie. Enduring steel chips embedded in his hands and even his eye, all of which was merely something to “shake off” for this determined young man. Ron would go on to become a talented machinist and would eventually be offered the opportunity to take over the business where he once swept floors. He worked seven days a week for decades, up at 4:30 AM and out the door by 5:00. “Honest pay for an honest day's work” was his mantra. He fought hard to overcome his lack of secondary schooling and there were many, many times it looked like a lack of contacts, funds or business knowledge might bring his beloved company to a close. But he now had four children to provide for and his dedication to his children was unshakeable. So he would dig in deeper and fight harder to find solutions, make sacrifices and overcome. He was far too proud to ask for help and he faced many setbacks, because of it but Ron Scafone was self-made and wouldn't have it any other way. He was a proud and private man determined to realize the American dream, and he did. By the 1970s he would have clients and customers around the world, including NASA and the military. Ron continued to work hard his entire life, sacrificing much and supplied jobs over the years for many people. His shop was his pride and joy, his life’s work.
So as Rio and Sean care for Ron in his final days and must go through the pain of watching their beloved father and father-in-law lose his fight in hospice, they now also worry about how to meet the remaining financial responsibilities resulting from the contractor's selfish, criminal acts.
Let’s help ease some of the burden for Rio and Sean! Please donate today as time is short! They will need all the help they can get in paying his medical, hospice, funeral and remaining expenses. All money will go directly to Rio and Sean so they can handle details of Ron's memorial, funeral arrangements, etc.
I know Rio and Sean will deeply appreciate your support during this most difficult time.
As many of you know, Rio (his daughter) and Sean (his son-in-law) have cared for Ron since his catastrophic accident. They have been his sole advocates and have left no stone unturned, no doctor unquestioned and no possibility unexplored. They desperately searched to find the latest medical advances to help his brain heal while simultaneously caring for their young daughter who has Autism. Through tireless and selfless dedication and commitment they were able to help Ron regain the ability to speak, walk, regain partial memory and recognition of faces and relationships for days, weeks or months at a time. Thousands of you have followed their journey over the last two and a half years and have shared in their triumphs, setbacks, and inspiring moments. Rio's father fought hard to come back, defying all odds prompting hospital staff to refer to him as “Superman”. Many of you have witnessed the beauty of their unconditional love for a man who spent his entire life working hard to provide for others.
Ron developed aspirational pneumonia due to negligence while under skilled nursing care. He was rushed to the hospital on Christmas morning, lethargic and nearly unresponsive. Rio and Sean (and their daughter Sophia) have hardly left his side and have fought gallantly to ensure medical staff were doing all they could and once again have left no stone unturned in trying to find a solution. Despite Ron being the fighter he is, defying the doctors’ expectations, trying to sit up, speak, even kissing Rio on the cheek and smiling despite horrific coughing fits due to the pneumonia, sadly, a cure is not to be. After exhaustive days of consulting with the medical team, Rio and Sean had to make the gut-wrenching decision to move Ron into Hospice.
As of today, Jan 12, 2020, he is in his final days if not hours.
As if this time is not already difficult enough, many of you have followed the news earlier this year of a local contractor who stole nearly all of Ron's remaining possessions from Ron’s beloved machine shop, Flynn Machine Products which was in operation until his accident. Rio and Sean were working on liquidating the industrial machinery in Ron’s shop in order to help pay for Ron’s increasing care needs and end of life care.
A contractor offered to help find buyers for the specialty machinery while Rio and Sean were consumed with her father's care and the needs of their young daughter who is on the Autism Spectrum. The contractor stole and sold the most valuable machines and possessions along with personal property that had been in the family for generations. He also stripped electrical and other materials from the building for scrap, destroying the entire shop in the process.
Not only did this man knowingly rob a dying man of his last remaining possessions, he stole Rio and Sean’s ability to pay for Ron's end of life care and funeral expenses. They have depleted their savings over the last two and a half years to ensure he was properly cared for as well as the expenses that come with having a child with special needs.
Ronald Scafone has always been a fighter. He started working at age 14 to help support his parents and his six siblings while going to school. He worked hard, sweeping floors at Flynn Machine Products, and took on the responsibility willingly to help his family. Ron went on to learn how to cut and craft chunks of steel under the watchful eye of the shop owner and mentor, Bill Rogie. Enduring steel chips embedded in his hands and even his eye, all of which was merely something to “shake off” for this determined young man. Ron would go on to become a talented machinist and would eventually be offered the opportunity to take over the business where he once swept floors. He worked seven days a week for decades, up at 4:30 AM and out the door by 5:00. “Honest pay for an honest day's work” was his mantra. He fought hard to overcome his lack of secondary schooling and there were many, many times it looked like a lack of contacts, funds or business knowledge might bring his beloved company to a close. But he now had four children to provide for and his dedication to his children was unshakeable. So he would dig in deeper and fight harder to find solutions, make sacrifices and overcome. He was far too proud to ask for help and he faced many setbacks, because of it but Ron Scafone was self-made and wouldn't have it any other way. He was a proud and private man determined to realize the American dream, and he did. By the 1970s he would have clients and customers around the world, including NASA and the military. Ron continued to work hard his entire life, sacrificing much and supplied jobs over the years for many people. His shop was his pride and joy, his life’s work.
So as Rio and Sean care for Ron in his final days and must go through the pain of watching their beloved father and father-in-law lose his fight in hospice, they now also worry about how to meet the remaining financial responsibilities resulting from the contractor's selfish, criminal acts.
Let’s help ease some of the burden for Rio and Sean! Please donate today as time is short! They will need all the help they can get in paying his medical, hospice, funeral and remaining expenses. All money will go directly to Rio and Sean so they can handle details of Ron's memorial, funeral arrangements, etc.
I know Rio and Sean will deeply appreciate your support during this most difficult time.
Organizer and beneficiary
Donna Harris
Organizer
White Lake Township, MI
Sean Harris
Beneficiary