Neil, 31 years of age, once lived life at full speed. He was a mountain biker, a champion martial artist, a SCUBA diver, and even an SCCA automobile racer. His strength and determination inspired everyone who knew him.

A Legacy of Healing and Hope

Before Neil became too ill to work as a bartender, he was the volunteer Director of a 216 acre health educational facility and Last Crossroads, which helped those with PTSD.

A Life Shattered by Negligence

But thirteen years ago, everything changed. An air conditioning worker stupidly mixed chlorine and ammonia to clean ducts. The toxic gas that resulted left Neil with devastating lung damage.

When Every Breath Becomes a Battle

Neil never smoked and lived a healthy lifestyle. Today, Neil is battling Stage 4 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). At this stage, his lung function has dropped to less than 30% of normal. Every breath requires immense effort, even at rest, and his risk of heart and lung failure is frighteningly high.

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23993405/

Despite all he has lost, Neil still fights with courage.  His only hope now is lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS), a procedure that could remove damaged lung tissue and restore some lung function. The surgery offers a chance to ease his suffering and give him back part of the life he once had.

Neil’s Lung Volume Reduction Surgery (LVRS) $35,000, post-surgery rehabilitation ($15,000), and a caregiver for one-month ($ 19,000) will amount to  $69,000, a burden far beyond what we can carry on our own.

Neil’s father had two transient ischemic attacks in 2016 and has been living on social security. Neil’s LVRS is urgently needed.

Choosing Forgiveness, Seeking Healing

We have forgiven the worker whose actions caused this tragedy, but the reality is that our family has been devastated by knowing our son will soon leave this earth.

We are reaching out for help to restore hope to our son, who once lived so fully and deserves the chance for his end years to be better.

With deepest thanks for your compassion,

Neil’s family