Help Greg Petitt get a wheelchair van!

On Saturday, April 30, my Dad suffered a terrible fall down the basement steps in my parents’ home. He fell backward down seventeen steps and fractured his spine in several places. Upon his arrival to the ER he had no feeling in or use of his left leg, leading to a diagnosis of Central Cord Syndrome. Early the following morning, May 1st, he underwent surgery to repair his broken spine.

The next several months were a blur of ups and downs including but not limited to: several bouts of pneumonia, two emergency intubations, 2+ months on a ventilator, one cardiac arrest (complete with a double dose of epinephrine and sodium bicarb and nearly 5 minutes of chest compressions), several episodes of ICU delirium, transfers to two other hospitals to wean from the ventilator and begin rehab, and one more trip to the ER via ambulance due to an infection about a week after he finally got home.

That trip to the ER made us realize that a wheelchair van was necessary. He had to be transported by ambulance because he does not have use of his legs and cannot get in and out of a car. He needed to spend the night at the ER because they could not find an ambulance to take him home.

We had to schedule a follow-up appointment for the infection that took him to the ER and transport to and from that doctor appointment will cost approximately $250. He’s also currently only getting one hour of physical therapy and one hour of occupational therapy per week because the home care provider is so understaffed. If they had a wheelchair van we could take him to physical therapy more often and hopefully get him out of the wheelchair.

The crux of the situation is that a wheelchair van for a man Dad’s size that will accommodate his very large, heavy wheelchair, is currently running about $72,000. We are trading both of my parents’ vehicles and putting cash down to bring down the cost, but it’s still a considerable expense.

I am asking my friends and family for help. There is nothing that I wouldn’t do for these two people who have done so much for me and for everyone they love. Last week they celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary and I would like for my anniversary gift to them to be to raise enough funds to help them purchase a van so they can keep on going. I guarantee that no two people on this earth are more deserving of your kindness than they are. In their nearly 50 years together, they have lost a child, two homes, and have struggled more than anyone should have in one lifetime. So help me lift this burden from their shoulders and please donate today.

Thank you for reading my novel and for your kindness and generosity.