Help Laurie and Tim
Donation protected
Laurie and Tim Bulkley have weathered a few storms in their 26 years together. Tim has had a one-man woodworking shop for over 35 years with projects that range from kitchens to doors, bathroom vanities to offices, even a paperweight. If you could imagine it made out of wood, he could create it. She worked full time until 12 years ago when her heart and several auto-immune disorders decided she wasn't going to be able to ever work again. Their health care premiums have risen to the point that they've outpaced their monthly mortgage but Laurie and Tim have managed to keep body and soul together and still participate in her children's & their grandchildren's lives as much as Tim's work schedule and Laurie's health issues have allowed.
And then Tim was doing something he'd done his whole life - skateboarding. He'd made a commitment to teach their oldest granddaughter how to surf and she'd earned money at a summer job and bought her own wet suit. He was showing her how shifting her balance on a skateboard was similar to shifting her weight on a surfboard when he fell with catastrophic consequences. He landed with all of his weight on his left elbow - dislocating it and breaking all 3 bones, tearing the ligament and fraying the tendon. And with that fall went at least half of their family's income (the other half is Laurie's static retirement income) plus hefty co-pays on doctor and hospital bills, and increased expenses just getting to all the appointments including physical therapy. What has already become apparent is that Tim's injury did not cure Laurie's disabilities. A friend pointed out that they have been generous to strangers, friends and family for years and that giving and receiving are a full circle not half. So this has become a lesson in humility - accepting help instead of giving it. We don't know how this story ends yet and the hope is that the surgery rebuilding Tim's elbow (done September 13th) will allow him to return to 'making sawdust' in the future but the best case scenario is not for at least 3 months as his bones heal, he teaches his hand how to function again and he rebuilds strength. With your help, maybe he can return to work without a mountain of debt. Thank you!
And then Tim was doing something he'd done his whole life - skateboarding. He'd made a commitment to teach their oldest granddaughter how to surf and she'd earned money at a summer job and bought her own wet suit. He was showing her how shifting her balance on a skateboard was similar to shifting her weight on a surfboard when he fell with catastrophic consequences. He landed with all of his weight on his left elbow - dislocating it and breaking all 3 bones, tearing the ligament and fraying the tendon. And with that fall went at least half of their family's income (the other half is Laurie's static retirement income) plus hefty co-pays on doctor and hospital bills, and increased expenses just getting to all the appointments including physical therapy. What has already become apparent is that Tim's injury did not cure Laurie's disabilities. A friend pointed out that they have been generous to strangers, friends and family for years and that giving and receiving are a full circle not half. So this has become a lesson in humility - accepting help instead of giving it. We don't know how this story ends yet and the hope is that the surgery rebuilding Tim's elbow (done September 13th) will allow him to return to 'making sawdust' in the future but the best case scenario is not for at least 3 months as his bones heal, he teaches his hand how to function again and he rebuilds strength. With your help, maybe he can return to work without a mountain of debt. Thank you!
Organizer and beneficiary
Barbara Taylor
Organizer
Petaluma, CA
Laurie Barbree Bulkley
Beneficiary