Keeleys' health & legal matters

I want to thank you all for your support, messages, suggestions, and advice regarding my abrupt separation from the CBBB. As many of you know, I was on an extended and essentially unpaid FMLA leave since last year whereby I had to borrow against my unearned vacation, personal days, and sick time just to cover my benefits. I had to take loans and withdrawals out on my 401K which is now depleted – in fact with regard to the last withdrawal I requested from the CBBB, despite the fact that I said I needed it to pay our rent by a specific date, they claimed my email had gone into a spam file and consequently the check wasn’t processed and arrived a full three weeks late. I now have an eviction proceeding over my head directly caused by this situation. I have depleted all savings and am seriously overdrawn. My wife, Stephanie, who teaches college part-time so that she may accompany me for all of my medical appointments and procedures and so that she may handle the majority of the family responsibilities, does not begin the new semester until the fall.

To further add insult to injury, the CBBB offered me a paltry 90 days of severance pay at a significantly reduced salary than what I was making at CARU! After a dedicated and loyal 17 years, bringing in countless supporters, increasing their public image, and saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars doing professional and Emmy-nominated PSAs, they offered me an insulting “package” which after taxes amounts to nothing – so much for charitable giving! In addition, they asked me to waive rights to things I didn’t even know were available to me including workers comp claims – which you cannot waive by law. I’d rather live on the floor of Grand Central. I have been advised that I have cognizable ADA/EEOC and other claims against the CBBB.

I am so very grateful for the generous offers I’ve received through private messages and phone calls. I’ve never been comfortable taking handouts from anyone. I’ve always been the one to do for others – I’ve worked hard for many decades to support my family and always have gone above and beyond whenever possible. But I’m laying all of my cards on the table now and swallowing my pride. I will move forward with what more than one of you have suggested – starting a GoFundMe Account – which means that despite my angst about it, I will do whatever it takes to care for my family until my health improves and I can work full-time again. This is not an easy pill to swallow.

So this is our plan: we hope to bring in $15,000 – $5,000 of which will be used to immediately retain a law firm specializing in this area of the law – disability discrimination and wrongful termination; $5,000 to start a non-profit LLC to assist people like myself who indeed have invisible disabilities (like my malignant hypertension and atrial fibrillation) and various other disabling diseases which are not readily apparent; and finally, $5,000 to get us through until my wife resumes teaching in the fall. Please know that any of you who may elect to donate anonymously are thanked in spirit! I cannot express how much I hate to do this, but I truthfully have no other immediate options at this point with seven children, one of whom many of you know has special needs.

Again, I thank you so much for all of your support! I will keep you apprised all along my journey to the Valley of Elah which is where David fought Goliath.