Medical Expenses for Bill

On July 20, 2023 the phone rang. I could tell by the way my son said, “Mom” something was wrong. He said, “There’s been an accident. I love you, you’re a good mother”. The rest of what he said is private but if it was the last time I spoke to him, it would have been the sweetest, saddest gift I had ever received. Bill spoke to his sister and asked for his dad. He managed to tell those closest to him, “I love you”. I heard him say, “My heart hurts and I can’t breathe”. When he got to the emergency department, he met a respiratory therapist and asked her to please let his family know he loved them. It was as if he thought he was living his last few hours and with good reason.

The accident took place in Granby, MA. He was taken to Baystate since it is the closest trauma center. Bill suffered massive internal bleeding and had emergency surgery to repair that. His spleen was removed and he was given nine units of blood. As time progressed, they were having trouble stabilizing his blood pressure and discovered that his aorta was leaking. The injury is called an aortic transection and is usually fatal. He had surgery to repair the tear in his aorta. He broke his left femur at the femoral neck and had a second break further down. His left arm was broken. He had orthopedic surgery to repair those bones. He had two collapsed lungs and multiple broken ribs. We were told for several days that he was not "out of the woods". He spent 11 days in ICU before going to a step down unit. He has a long way to go before his life is close to the normal that he once knew.

Medical costs are going to continue to mount for the next few months. We do not know what or how much of it will be covered by insurance. When he became an adult, I had to let him go. Right now it is time to hold him close.

Bill had only recently purchased a sport bike. He took motorcycle safety seriously. While the exact details of the accident are still sketchy, we are more concerned with how we help him move forward. On the day of the accident, Bill had completed an interview to become a Springfield police officer cadet. He had also recently submitted paperwork to rejoin the service, more specifically the Air Force. At just 21, he was working 60-70 hours a week and finding his own path in life. Bill has his pride and is the last one to ask for help. However, it will be a long time before he can work again. We are expecting his recovery to take extended care and time.

My son is brilliant, funny, kind, loyal, hardworking and most of all he is loved. He adores his little sister the most. His father and I will take care of his immediate needs. However, his medical bills and additional expenses will be more than we can absorb. Any funds collected will go directly to Bill for his care.