THIS OLD HOUND DOG NEEDS YOUR HELP

My good friend Michael McClary is in dire need at the moment. Michael was the best man at my wedding 33 years ago. He has been an integral supporter and champion of mine for my 43 year career in film. Now he finds himself in a dilemma due to a freak accident that has caused debilitating health issues for him. In the meantime, his physical injuries and ongoing neurological setbacks have made it impossible to bring in any income. Michael has always been there for me and I want to return the favor for him now in his time of need. Please read his story and help if you can.

Dear Friends,

Many of us have known Michael for years; we cut our teeth with him making commercials and movies. He started his journey as a camera assistant, moving on to operator, director of photography, and finally to directing and scriptwriting - but most importantly he is dad to his wonderful daughter, Parker Layne McClary, who is now a senior in high school at Geffen/UCLA and hopes to become a doctor.

Over the years, Michael has dealt with stress by riding his bicycle. On February 18, 2022 he was set to take his 812th consecutive urban bike ride, which was itself a minor miracle. While running to his car to get a bottle of water just prior to his ride, he tripped on a stake protruding from the ground that had been left by a gardener at his apartment complex. The momentum sent him hurtling over nearby steps, and he crashed face-first onto the sidewalk below. Temporarily knocked unconscious, he was eventually assisted by some good Samaritans which allowed him to make it back to his apartment, where he passed out and woke up 24 hours later with a debilitating migraine, impaired vision, and intense pain riveting throughout his body. He was taken by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where he spent five days in intensive care.

The initial assessment was a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Other MRIs revealed five broken ribs and a punctured lung, which required draining blood from his body cavity. A thoracic surgeon reset a protruding rib and repaired his damaged lung. He was put on a regimen of pulmonary therapy for weeks and after 20 days was transferred to California Rehabilitation Institute (CRI), a world-class hospital known as “boot camp rehab” where patients are required to participate in four hours of physical therapy seven days a week. After 15 days, CRI released him sooner than the facility would have preferred, due to Medicare guidelines.

As per Cedars’ neurology department, TBI patients presenting as symptom-free at the one-year mark is unusual - 18-24 months is more realistic. Often patients’ recoveries hit an invisible wall and they regress. In Michael’s case, he was motoring through in-home physical therapy until June 24 when, without warning, his world began spinning hopelessly out of control - so much so he couldn’t stand upright. He ended up back at Cedars ICU for eight days diagnosed with TBI benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), after which Cedars transferred him back to CRI to start a more rigorous vertigo treatment regimen.

His second stay at CRI lasted for ten days before it was timed out. It’s not unusual for patients to get bounced prematurely due to Medicare’s one-size-fits-all regulations. So, against his doctor’s wishes, Michael was sent home. His doctor’s predictions were correct: he had additional falls. At this point Michael wasn’t able to drive a car or ride his bike, but in-home physical therapy has been a help. All told, his vertigo lasted 200 days, and in some respects, it was equivalent to the initial accident. The jury is still out on his overall prognosis.

Perhaps the biggest downside of Michael’s injury is he hasn’t been able to work since 2022. He lives by himself, therefore cooking, cleaning, and shopping have been problematic, but thanks to family and friends, he’s been getting by. Fortunately, Medicare has covered the majority of his hospital bills, but not much else. He’s $15,000 in the red with no immediate way to repay it. If there is a silver lining to this dilemma it is that the State of California has provided him with food stamps. The added stress of food insecurity and trying to recover might put him under.

Michael’s doing his best to get back to being the old hound dog we know and love, but it’s going to take our help. I ask you to join me in sharing a bit of your good fortune to provide Michael with a measure of hope at this point in his life. If as many of us as possible pull together in this effort it can provide the kind of support that goes beyond just monetary value. Thanks for considering.