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Holly Ozsan hasn't added a story.
My name is Holly and I am doing this fundraiser for Robert's medical
expenses. He has been one of the Three JellyBeans since 1971; we lost
Bret Short, our other jellybean in October 2016.
Robert has a long and difficult medical history, starting with
his near-fatal wreck (as a passenger when an on-coming car nailed him
and his friend) when we were in high-school. It was a long road back
but he made it.
He has the most giving heart of anyone I know, and truly would
fit the cliche of giving someone the literal shirt off of his back. He
is a very talented contractor/handyman and has worked for himself for
many, many years. Like a lot of others these days, he has no health insurance.
Robert had been having pains in his legs for a very long time
that were mostly relieved by rest (rest being a thing Robert rarely
gave himself). Fortunately, his neighbor flies for LifeFlight and
recognized the pain, now unrelieved by rest, the ghost-white shade of
his right leg and its icy coldness as being a serious problem and took
him to the ER on Sunday (Jan. 7th). He has had many expensive
diagnostic tests and imaging studies to isolate the problem and
develop the treatment plan.
The fantastic news is the heart cath showed only minor issues
that can be treated with a statin. The dreadful news is his right
iliac artery is 100% blocked and the left is 97%. The endarterectomy
and possible stenting should be straightforward but for the fact that
access is problematic due to the extreme amount of scar tissue from
his long-ago car accident. As of this writing, he is on Day 4 of
hospitalization and is in pre-op awaiting the surgery. With the
blockage he has, not having the surgery would result in gangrene and
ultimate loss of his limbs. Not acceptable!!
The recovery, if all goes as planned, shouldn't be much worse
than those having a femoral-access heart cath. A day of
flat-on-the-back, then gradual resumption of the activities of daily living.
Robert has a sister, who has a family with its own health issues
and she herself has recently suffered a stroke. She is a retired
schoolteacher and even the family resources are limited.
I am helping Robert to navigate the options with the hospital's
social worker and financial assistance departments, and to negotiate
downward the final medical bills. Nonethless, they will be many and
massive. The last thing Robert needs is stress about how he will pay
for this. Being self-employed, no work means no pay. Having a highly
physical job, light duty restrictions for a while greatly impacts his
ability to earn a living.
What he does have is a vast support group of friends, many for
forty years or more. And while we all have our own financial issues,
the power of crowdsourcing means even small amounts from friends,
extended friends, and perhaps some compassionate and generous
strangers will help him to meet his medical bills, and make sure the
lights stay on. I will make sure food stays in his fridge, that he has
the transportation to medical appointments he needs, and have offered
him my guest room and "nursing skills" as he recovers.
I ask you all to contribute however you can -- nothing is too
small an amount. I of course obtained Robert's permission to raise
these funds, and he agreed (although he's not a fan of the limelight,
much less of sharing his needs: he has volunteered for years with the
Red Cross, going in when families are burned out of their homes to
provide lodging, food, and clothing, and he is far more comfortable
being the helper, not the person in need).
If you don't know Robert but you know me, please consider giving
anyway. Since losing my beloved husband to metastatic colon cancer the
week before Thanksgiving, I have been heartbroken and lost and in
search of a purpose. THIS is now my purpose so any support you can
give is as meaningful to me as it is to Robert.
Sincere and heartfelt thanks in advance from me and from Robert,
for reading to the end, and for giving whatever you can.
N.B.: While not required by this site, Robert and I both feel a
moral obligation to report how any funds raised are spent. We will not
identify, for example, a specific doctor by name; however, we would
share that "$xxx was paid to the vascular surgeon at Piedmont
Hospital for the surgery," or "$xxx to the hospital for room
and related charges," or "$xx to the pharmacy for his
medications." There's just so much fraud and scammy stuff in the
world, we hope this provides confidence to the donors.
[I will provide an update after the surgery and as he
progresses. This could be a very long road.]
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