Help Bill McKeever improve his quality of life.

Friends and family of Bill McKeever have joined together to raise funds in support of Bill McKeever and invite you to join us. We are seeking a total of $4,200 a month for an initial 2-year period as a way of very significantly improving Bill’s current living situation.

Family members with Bill (at left).

Bill, who just turned 73, was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s when he was 48—25 years ago. As many of you witnessed firsthand, Bill manifested great determination during the course of the disease progression. For years he maintained his career, and continued to teach Buddhism in person and virtually. Bill has shown patience, equanimity and gratitude to so many who have stepped up to offer care and support.

Over the past four years Parkinson’s has taken a much more debilitating turn and acceleration of symptoms. That required Bill and his family to make the decision to move to an assisted living facility in order to access care and to have support in accomplishing the daily tasks of living.

The COVID lockdown period was especially difficult and in October 2022 Bill fell, fracturing his ribs and requiring a move from assisted living to a skilled nursing facility offering even more intensive support. He currently lives at such a facility in Boulder, CO. Because Bill spent down all his assets over the many decades he was living with his illness his current residence is a Medicaid provider. There is a basic level of care offered, but as you might expect it has limitations, focused on urgent care and basic daily needs.

Over the past few years, a small group of friends have come together to offer financial support in order to add 14 hours a week of private caregiving. This allows Bill to have companionship, to write emails and stay somewhat connected with friends and family, and take walks as he is able. As additional funds are found, massage is added along with modest fees to participate in Buddhist programs. There are also some other wonderful volunteers adding about 4 more hours a week of companionship.

Bill with longtime caregiver Jen Erickson

Right now, there are two very important ways that all who care for Bill, who have been touched by his skillful Buddhist teachings and his caring meditation instruction can help.

First, and most immediate is to help Bill secure a private room, the cost for which is $1950 per month. Medicaid covers the cost of a small shared room. It is similar to a hospital room, with a curtain dividing the space, one window, and a small shared closet. On Bill’s side, there is room for a very small Buddhist shrine. His wheelchair basically fills up all the room that is not occupied by the bed with no way for visitors to comfortably sit. And neither Bill himself nor the caregivers can easily or safely move from bed to wheelchair. While his roommate is a pleasant person he also spends almost all of his day watching TV, with no sound mitigation

available.

Bill's side of his current shared room

There is a private room available at the current skilled nursing facility. It is the same size as the shared room, which would be an exceptional improvement. Apart from the healing qualities of private space and the ability to control the sound levels, Bill could have a small sitting area conducive to visitors and a modest room to uplift his living environment even in what is still an institutional setting. The cost for a private room is an additional $1950 per month.

The second opportunity is for us to maintain and somewhat increase the private caregiving now being covered by Bill’s sons Jonathan, Edward and Monty, former wife Berkley, and 4 friends. The available funds have varied and we seek a wider group of supporters to add more certainty. Currently the monthly cost for 56 hours of add-on care per month is $1960, for 2 monthly sessions of very helpful abdominal and core massage is $240, access to online teaching programs is $50 for a total of $2250.

We seek one time or more frequent offers of support totaling $4200 per month. Our goal is for this first campaign is to raise $100,000 in order to offer certainty for the next two years. There is of course no way to predict the ways in which Bill’s health situation will change over this two-year period. We are quite confident that changing the physical environment and securing the modest amount of private caregiving can only be beneficial.

Bill dedicated more than 50 years of his life as a Buddhist teacher, volunteer, mentor to hundreds, and role model of how to live a meaningful life in the face of adversity and not lose an attitude of compassion for others in the face of personal struggles. Your willingness to join us in expressing love for Bill at whatever level is appropriate for you is healing in itself and we welcome your generosity.

Bill’s son Jonathan is happy to address questions you may have and Judy and I can also offer more information to you.

With Appreciation,

Chuck Lief

(on behalf of many family members and friends who wish to assist Bill)

Bill as a boy, Loch Ness, Scotland