Help My Friend Al Obtain Life Saving Device

Hi,

My name is Rebecca and I am submitting this urgent request for my dear friend Al Cappiello.

2022 was not a good year for my friend Al. Albert is a practicing Buddhist and an eternal optimist and he fights every day to maintain his positive outlook; not only for himself but for his friends and everyone with whom he comes in contact.

2022 posed so many of life's heavier challenges for Al who has lived in an assisted living facility in the Bronx, NY for the last 9 to 10 years. I met Al there about 9 years ago while visiting my Mom who was a resident there. My Mom died 8 years ago and I continued to visit the facility as a volunteer. During that time I maintained my friendship with Al and also with Gloria who became a dear friend of mine and was also the love of Al's life.

Fast forward to 2021-2022 - I returned to the facility and my volunteer activities. Just as COVID seemed to be winding down things took a turn for the worse. As 2022 began a chronic debilitating illness that Gloria had been suffering from for years took a severe turn for the worse. At the same time, Al contracted a very severe case of COVID and ended up on a ventilator fighting for his life in another hospital.

He fought hard to survive and was able to leave the hospital and be with Gloria when she passed away a few days after her 71st birthday.

There were many sad and tough days ahead for Al, but he never lost heart and even though his recent bout with COVID necessitated the daily use of an oxygen tank and the possibly related diagnosis of heart disease he said the courageous and loving spirit of Gloria was with him and said that she visited him daily.

He gradually resumed his activities at the residence home. As an active member of the Resident Council, he is a tireless fighter and spokesperson for the rights and the improvement of the lives and the safety of the folks who reside there.

He also is active in programs involving students who are paired with residents who act as mentors, using his background in social work to interact with young people.

As a practicing and dedicated Buddhist, he currently leads a small but active and growing group of Buddhists at the facility and attends meetings at the SGI Buddhist Center in Manhattan whenever he is physically able to travel.

Al has a few very serious medical problems which he is actively addressing as best he can, but right now the one big thing holding him back is his ability to breathe - which is hampered by the antiquated Oxygen tanks, the only ones that are currently made available to him at his assisted living facility.

Al is taking responsibility for his oxygen tanks as best he can. They are heavy to lift and he has been doing that by himself too but recently suffered a shoulder sprain (caused by lifting the tank) which necessitated that he requests help from the building's engineering team. They are often short-staffed and so he is forced to wait for something that may be not only life-enhancing, but LIFE SUPPORTING or LIFE ENABLING.

These older tanks do not hold as much oxygen as the newer higher capacity Inogen Oxygen Concentrators.

Often Al worries that when he uses Access-a-Ride to attend outside medical appointments or special gatherings at his Buddhist Center even with two of these heavy tanks, he may not have enough oxygen supply to last during the time he is traveling away from his home facility.

Recently Al learned about the Inogen Oxygen Supply devices which are much lighter, easily portable and have a greater capacity for oxygen,

These "Oxygen Concentrators" would be a lifesaver for Al and he was very excited to learn about them.

Several times he contacted people from the medical team at his facility to request information about them and the possibility of obtaining one. The responses were vague or negative. He was told that his medical insurance did not cover the purchase of such a device.

Al is currently on a very limited fixed income. He has no surviving family members and all of his available funds go towards the coverage that permits him to live and obtain services at his current assisted care facility.

The cost of the Inogen Oxygen Unit is close to $3,500.

We are hoping that some of his friends see this and even if you are a stranger, I am telling you that if you knew this guy you would help him out. He is a great guy and a man of great spirit and heart. My friend Gloria loved Al and she was an excellent judge of character.

The Oxygen Concentrator would be a true lifesaver for Al. Here is a fellow human being who just needs a bit of support to survive and not live every day in fear that an old rusty oxygen tank, an antique from a prior century will be his downfall.

Al often says that he lives every day thinking about how much more he wants to do- how many people he hopes to inspire and help while he is still here among us, his fellow humans.

I hope you can spare a few bucks to help him to purchase something that will help him achieve his life's goals.