Cindy & Patrick’s vehicle repair

Hi, my name is Patrick Mulkerin and my wife Cindy and I have one vehicle and the transmission failed three months after buying vehicle. We have a $2000.00 warranty on the transmission, but the repair costs $3997.00 and I have to pay $2905.00 up front and will be reimbursed after the repair.

My wife was t-boned by an 84 year old man driving a F-250 pickup truck who ran a stop sign and struck Cindy’s vehicle on the drivers door going an estimated 55-60 mph which pushed her off the road and into a field. She suffered multiple critical injuries including a modified hangman’s fracture( C-2), an odontoid fracture along with a TBI (traumatic brain injury), multiple thoracic/lumbar spinal injuries, bilateral wrist and knee injuries. Her accident occurred on January 29, 2019. She has severe ataxia and is partially paralyzed. She is a nationally certified licensed massage therapist who practiced in hospitals and outpatient clinics for 25 + years. Her disabilities forced her retirement and her only income is Social Security Disability.  She has severe ataxia, is a constant fall risk, and requires assistance with dressing, and other activities of daily. She required twelve major surgeries since her accident and has several more pending. 

I became her primary caregiver as her PCP ordered attendant care and household services. I am a Paramedic, RN, and an APRN FNP-C who started out as a EMT in 1978 at a hospital based ambulance service. I continued my education becoming an RN/Paramedic and eventually a Nurse Practitioner with extensive experience in pre-hospital and emergency care. My experience also included family practice, internal medicine, geriatrics, and geriatric psychiatry. I most recently worked at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans providing geriatric psychiatry services for veterans and also for patients in sub-acute rehabilitation and Long Term Care Facilities. I loved working with my fellow veterans and senior citizens. I felt privileged to go to work every day and care for my patients. I was involved in an accident while driving between healthcare facilities on July 17, 2018 (six months prior to Cindy’s accident). I suffered severe back injuries from the accident and have required three major back surgeries since then. I have an outstanding workman’s compensation case that shows no signs of settling, although the case is over five years old. I agreed to settle out of court in July of 2022 which includes wage loss and payment of medical bills related to the accident. The insurance companies are battling over which company will pay so in the meantime my medical bills aren’t being paid and I’m in collections. 

I worked in healthcare for forty three years. I’ve seen countless tragedies in my career but never thought anything like this could happen to me.

We currently have no transportation until my transmission is replaced. I normally drive Cindy to medical appointments and to get groceries. Now I have to use Uber to go anywhere which isn’t affordable. We experienced a tragic house fire on May 7, 2019 where we lost everything including a dog, a cat, and all our possessions. Thank God I was able to get my human family out safely. I can’t believe all this happened to us in a 10 month period. Our savings are exhausted and we both receive social security disability as our only source of income. This is a fixed income so we don’t currently have money for a costly auto repair. Any funds raised will be to repair my vehicle and any extra will go towards medical bills and living expenses. I hate asking for help but I don’t know what else I can do. I’m a veteran so I’m also trying to get assistance from the VA but so far I haven’t had any success.

Cindy’s accident has been life changing and she will never be returned to her previous state of health. I’m her primary caregiver and help her dress daily and assist her with other activities of daily living. We’ve been married for forty years and I will do whatever is necessary to care for her. Cindy is sixty-five and I’m sixty four. We never anticipated a retirement like this and I would rather return to work as a Nurse Practitioner. 

Thank you in advance for your generosity in assisting us in this very difficult situation. Cindy and I worked our entire adult lives in healthcare in service to others. The kindness of others has helped sustain us. I humbly request this assistance to enable us to replace our transmission and return to independence. 

Sincerely,

Patrick and Cindy Mulkerin