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Help Brian be "Able'd" with Dignity

In 2001, Brian Johnston suffered a PONS brain stem stroke- the type that less than 1% of people survive- those that do, typically die within the first year due to complications- mostly caused by lack of mobility. A fighter then and a fighter now, he survived that stroke and refused a wheelchair or any other type of assistance for the last 13.5 years. He has created a full life for himself, in spite of his disabilites- becoming a husband and father. The wear and tear of everyday life has taken a tremendous toll upon his body, betraying him once again. Brian's legs no longer have the strength to support him, making self mobility impossible and his constant falls are becoming more life threatening. As his wife, I do everything I can to support him, allowing him his dignity, but being disabled myself, due to Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, I am in need of some assistance. In recent months, Brian has missed so much of his daughter's life due to Chronic Fatigue and inability to be mobile, that wheelchairs, once his archnemesis, have become a necessity, but financially impossible to obtain. Two adults and a child surviving on disability income don't leave for much room for saving and health insurance refuses to cover the very specialized wheelchair (extremely lightweight) his physical state requires. His needs include a titanium wheelchair, at a cost of $1900.00, so that he can self propel on good days, a motorized power scooter for bad days, typically $6500.00; wheelchair ramp into and out of home, safety grab bars with installation throughout the house, a bariatric trapeze, as his core muscles are not synaptic, making it impossible to sit up without assistance, aluminum blanket and sheet support for bed, as even the weight from the lightest blanket traps him, helpless, in bed, and curve bars to make using the toilet on his own possible. Health insurance views trips to the Physical Therapist as Specialist visits, at $45 per visit, 3 times a week- at 4 weeks a month, totalling more than $500 per month, not including doctor visits and prescription costs- which equates to more than 1/3rd of his income. My husband and I are always the first people to be there to help someone in need, without a second thought. We both have a tremendous about of fight and pride, asking for help is humiliating and painful, but I can't bear to watch the life disappear from my husband's eyes and heart and I can't bear to see our 5 year old daughter, filled with disappointment and growing concern at her father's increasing inability to join us for a day at the park- and I can no longer live with the fear of wondering if I am going to come home from the store to find him in a lifeless pile on the floor, a victim to one final, fatal fall. Please consider helping. Thank you.

Organizer

Maggie Gore
Organizer
San Tan Valley, AZ

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