I'm posting the following message on behalf of
Mike Aichenbaum, the director of Hosts for
Hospitals. If anyone can help out, email Mike.
We have a special guest need which will most
likely require
many host homes over the coming year. The
situation is
as follows:
Last year we publicized the case of B.R.,
a young
teenage woman from the Caribbean who 4
years ago
last all of the digits on her hands and
feet from an
auto accident and the resultant fire.
Subsequent to
this tragedy B.R. spent many months in a
hospital in
Cuba. The resultant medical expense came
to $20,000
and was not covered by insurance.
B.R. is now 19-1/2 years-old. Last fall
she and her
father lodged at a HfH host home for a
week during
which time her condition was evaluated at
the Shriners
Hospital. She now will be returning to
town for a more
intensive evaluation at Shriners on July
29.
As of now the opinion is that the new
medical evaluation
will give rise to two possible treatment
options:
A. That treatment will be limited
only to a few
weeks of rehab care; or,
B. That surgery will be possible, in
which case
B.R. and her father will need to
remain in
Philadelphia for 6 to 12 months
for follow-up
care.
It is hoped that B.R. will be able to
undergo the surgery,
which would greatly increase her mobility.
If in fact B.R. does undergo this surgery,
HfH has agreed to
provide lodging for her and her father for
their entire period of
need. With respect to their lodging
needs, they will require:
1) a bedroom and bath for B.R.
accessible by no
more than one flight of stairs.
While B.R. for
the most part is restricted to
her wheelchair, she
can stand and balance herself to
a limited degree,
which she needs to do to climb
the six or so steps
in her own home. Her father
will otherwise carry
her up steps as need be.
2) a length of stay of about three
weeks minimum
at each host home. The first
stay would begin
about July 27.
3) Transportation with hosts weekly
to food market.
While the guests will not have a
car, transportation
to and from Shriners will be
provided by Wheels, Inc.
Note that the host family which lodged
B.R. and her father
last fall found them to be very pleasant
guests.
>From my months of phone conversations with B.R.'s
mother, I
know that the family has worked so very hard to
try to obtain
the medical care which B.R. so urgently needs.
Now its our
turn, together, to step forward and thus make a
truly
awesome difference for this family. Therefore,
please,
please now and over the coming months contact me
if
you or someone you may be able to provide lodging
for
them--the satisfaction which you'll feel in
return will be
immeasurable.
Mike Aichenbaum
Director
HOSTS for HOSPITALS
300 N. Highland Avenue
Merion, PA 19066
610-660-6667 fax: 610-617-3659
HfHospitals @aol.com
www.hostsforhospitals.org
.
=====
Katie Convery Diller
__________________________________
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