Help Regan to return home in February!

Hello, I am Denise Eardley Lambert and I am fundraising for my youngest brother who was injured in a freak accident November 26, 2022.

On that day, Regan L. Eardley, 59, was out in his yard with his leaf blower. He stepped into a depression in the lawn, lost his balance, and fell forward. He hit the ground, his head bounced, and he heard and felt a snap in his neck. After that, he couldn't move.

A few minutes later, Regan's wife, Teresa, returned home from Christmas shopping earlier than planned and found him on the ground. An ambulance was called and he was taken to St. Alphonsus Hospital Emergency Room in Boise. Upon examination, it was discovered that he had pushed the C6 and C7 vertebrae forward and shattered the T1, injuring his spinal cord.

That night Regan had emergency surgery to fix the displaced and broken vertebrae in his neck. Although the surgery was a complete success, Regan could only move his arms. He had no small motor movement in his hands and he was paralyzed from the waist down.

Dr. Argen, Regan's surgeon at St. Alphonsus Hospital, was immediately in touch with the Craig H. Neilson Rehabilitation Hospital on the campus of the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, a prestigious rehab institution in the inter-mountain west where Regan could receive the best care available. Dr. Argen was able to procure a bed for Regan but there were complications with Regan's insurance. Finally, the insurance company approved Regan to be treated there but would not pay to transport him. The bed at the rehab hospital was time sensitive so St. Alphonsus Hospital transported Regan the 5 hours from Boise to Salt Lake City in a special van on December 7, 2022.

The doctors and staff at Craig H. Neilson Rehabilitation Hospital immediately got Regan going with medical attention, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy, and assigned him a Case Management Team. His attending physician has been Dr. Park. Dr. Park and Regan's team have worked continuously to assure that Regan would be able to recover as much as possible before his release.

On December 30th, a team meeting was conducted between Regan's team and his family. These were the findings:

1. Although medically stable, there were concerns about Regan's recovery. He was given only a 20% chance of walking again.

His injuries caused a great deal of swelling in his spinal cord and throat.

2. He would need to wear the neck collar until February.

3. OT has worked with Regan to gain independence. He is learning to feed himself, brush his teeth, and dress.

Upon his release, he will need to be able to coach his family to assist him in these and other skills.

4. Equipment (a lift, hospital bed, and shower chair) has been ordered for Regan's home. How much of this equipment would be covered by Regan's insurance was unknown and could not be counted upon.

5. Regan's insurance has no provision for a skilled nursing facility after leaving the hospital. This means that upon his release, he would need to go directly home.

6. Regan will need at least two family members to receive training to provide 24-hour-a-day care for him.

Regan's wife, Teresa, his daughters, Amanda and Sarah, and his son-in-law, Brett, have all volunteered to take this training.

Additionally, Teresa and Sarah are retraining as medical coders to be able to work from home as they care for Regan. Teresa is currently working part-time out of the home. Sarah has been working on a career choice and taking college courses. Sarah is making a complete career plan change to help care for her father.

7. Regan will leave the Rehab Hospital in a loner wheelchair. A custom-made chair is being created for him and will be delivered to his home by the vendor. Insurance will pay for this!!

8. To be able to transport Regan, the family will need to purchase a wheelchair-accessible van. This van would need either a ramp or a lift. Teresa has been searching for a used van with this capacity. Used vans run between $40,000 and $80,000. Right now she is looking at a van for $50,000. Financing the van is the challenge.

9. Regan's home needs to be modified to meet his needs: doorways widened, ramps created, the lift installed, and a shower to be installed in the downstairs bathroom. Regan's older brother, an architect, has drawn up plans to

make the modifications. Family members and friends have volunteered to help with the work. Materials needed to complete these changes need to be secured.

10. Regan has been receiving speech therapy primarily to help him with swallowing. There was and continues to be a great deal of swelling in Regan's spinal cord and throat. He had to be on a liquid diet for a few weeks. Although on a regular diet now, the Heimlich Maneuver has been administered to Regan twice because of choking.

11. The Speech pathologist is also working with Regan on cognition. His injuries have been overwhelming and learning takes more time than before.

12. Case Management has been working with Regan's insurance. They have also contracted a company to help Regan apply for Social Security Disability. This will be helpful but not enough to replace his previous income or to keep up with the financial demands his accident will incur now and in the years to come.

13. At some point, Regan will need Vocational Therapy to retrain in another line of work.

14. Regan will continue to need physical therapy and occupational therapy 2 or 3 times a week.

15. The last point made by Regan's team was for him to never give up hope. Then they all applauded Regan for his positive attitude and willingness to work hard. I can attest to that! He has handled this experience without any self-

pity, bitterness or complaint. He is a sweet, gentle man who looks for silver linings and God's plan and blessings - even while enduring a spinal cord injury!

According to the Reeve Foundation, the cost of living with Regan's spinal cord injury (Low-Tetraplegia - C5-C8) will be $840,676 for the first year and $123,938 for each subsequent year. This small family has their work cut out for them! The purpose of this GoFundMe page is to assist the Eardley family in bringing Regan home from the hospital on February 8th so that they can continue with the next chapter of their lives. I am seeking $100,000 to purchase a wheelchair-accessible van and to make the necessary modifications to their home. Any help would be most gratefully appreciated. Thank you!