Please Help Jesse Rivera Walk Again
Jesse Rivera is one of the 51+ million people in the U.S. infected with SARS-CoV-2 (aka COVID-19) since January, 2020. [1]
Unfortunately, Jesse’s not one of the lucky majority who survived the viral invasion intact.
In Jesse’s case, the treacherous microparasites took his lower leg and left him a prisoner of his body. [2, 3, 4 & 5]
Hence this appeal to help him walk again, so he can take back his life and regain his self-worth.
Who was Jesse Rivera before COVID?
I'd like to tell you about my happy-go-lucky friend, Jesse Rivera.
Jess and I have worked together behind the bar at the Ritz-Carlton C.P.S. for the last fifteen years –– thru blackouts and marathons.
And we’ve stood together as loyal members of H.T.C. Local 6 for decades.
Before the COVID nightmare, he was just like any one of us.
Day in, day out, year-after-year, he got up in the morning, took the subway to work and returned home to take care of his family.
Like most of us, he did what it took to raise his three kids and enjoyed the comradery of his friends and co-workers –– never thinking that one day he’d get caught in a pandemic whirlwind which would leave him on life-support for over a month –– and then wake to find that COVID had taken his lower leg.
Speaking for myself, that scenario has been my worst nightmare since this all began in December, 2019.
Makes me wonder why I got thru unscathed.
Betting I’m not the only one pondering that question.
How will your funds be invested in helping Jesse take back his life?
According to several sources, the amputation / recovery / rehabilitation process is complex and replete with pitfalls, dead-ends, detours, and a very faint light at the end of a very long tunnel.
Many experts agree that success hinges on three primary factors: [6, 7, 8 & 9]
• The expertise of a multidisciplinary Care Team comprised of the prosthetist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and mental health specialist working together toward a targeted outcome;
• The sophistication of the customized prosthetic leg; and
• The patient’s mental health and motivation.
According to Dr. Hacquebord: “Patients’ lives are affected tremendously by having an amputation, and depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress can present a significant roadblock to recovery and rehabilitation.”
“We prioritize mental health in patients’ treatment plans because it’s one of the most overlooked factors — yet it’s just as important as their physical therapy and recovery.”
Primary Considerations: [10, 11, 12, 13 & 14]
• Prosthetic Legs Are Not One Size Fits All.
• To achieve maximum mobility, they must be tailor-made, preferably by experts certified by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics, Inc. (ABC) who will meticulously fit, craft, and fabricate them.
• According to Dr. Mary Keszler: “To get the right type and fit, it’s important to work closely with your prosthetist –– a relationship you might have for life.”
Types of lower-limb prostheses: [15]
According to Dr. Heikki Uustal: “Prosthetic devices vary in complexity based on the functions required of knees and feet. Many are made from carbon fiber or fiberglass, which allows the device to bend under your weight and spring back when you lift your foot. This is called dynamic response and helps to propel you forward.”
“There are over 200 different prosthetic feet and 75 different prosthetic knees on the world market,” Dr. Uustal says.
“The appropriate selection of components for any one individual patient is based on the expert opinion of the physician –– preferably a physiatrist, the prosthetist and, most importantly, on the needs of the patient.”
“If a leg was amputated below the knee [as with Jesse], the prosthetic components would include a foot-and-ankle mechanism.”
“Among prosthetic devices with a foot-and-ankle mechanism:
• the simplest models have a fixed foot/ankle position;
• other simple models have one pivot point (single axis joint), allowing up-and-down movement;
• more complex models provide multi-axial movement, for walking on uneven ground; and
• high performance feet made of carbon fiber or fiberglass allow faster walking, running or jumping.”
Unfortunately, the ongoing cost can be prohibitive: [16, 17 & 18]
“The price of a new prosthetic leg can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 [back in 2013]. But even the most expensive prosthetic limbs are built to withstand only three to five years of wear and tear, meaning they will need to be replaced over the course of a lifetime, and they're not a one-time cost.”
“Depending on what components you get on it, [the cost] can vary greatly," said Glenn Garrison, director of prosthetics and orthotics at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. “They're probably in line with a cost of a car. It can be a pricey thing to work with.”
The price range quoted by multiple sources in 2021 -- for below-the-knee prostheses -- is $15,000 to $60,000.
Soooooo, our first goal here is to raise enough money to get Jesse his first complex, custom-tailored prosthetic leg.
It looks like a big number, but even the smallest contribution is an investment in Jesse’s mission to take back his life. [19 & 20]
With the “right” leg he can regain maximum mobility and start moving forward again –– instead of stoically struggling against the limitations of the basic prosthetic and care-level covered by his government insurance.
Why am I organizing this fundraiser and what’s in it for me?
After hearing about Jesse’s situation, I couldn’t stop looping over “why him and not me?”
There but for the grace of God?
Or dumb luck?
So, the reason I’m writing this plea on Jesse’s behalf is because he won't –– and I can’t live with myself if I don’t.
Jesse’s a proud guy who’d rather “grin and bear it” than ask for help –– which is one of his best qualities.
However, according to experts in amputation recovery, struggling alone and remaining silent will guarantee his failure to recover from his train-wrecked life.
Like Jesse, I once dreamt of being a super-hero and what I’d do with super-powers like x-ray vision and leaping tall buildings in a single bound.
Since then, I’ve often reflected on what distinguishes super-heroes from regular people.
Is it still super-powers like extraordinary intelligence and exceptional feats of strength, endurance and bravery?
Or is it their journey through life’s challenges –– their odyssey?
Until COVID, Jesse’s life was relatively easy and predictable.
What’s ahead is uncertain.
Will he end up being the hero or victim in his own narrative?
With your help, a sophisticated prosthetic leg, an integrated care team, and super-human motivation, Jesse might just live his super-hero dream.
The good news is Jesse’s very smart, honest sister is helping him get thru and will be acting on his behalf with regard to ALL donations and withdrawals from this fundraiser going forward.
And, as I conclude this appeal, I’m hoping that everyone reading it will think of all we’ve been through since January, 2020 and how a microparasite can train-wreck any life as it did to my dear friend, Jesse Rivera.
How else can you help Jesse return to a wheelchair-free life?
Please help us get the word out by:
• Sharing the link to your Facebook Timeline;
• Texting, Facebook Messaging and/or Emailing the link to this page to a few of your friends and/or family.
Also –– please shout-out to Jesse every once-in-a-while.
Everybody who knows Jess knows that isolation during the long-road ahead will crush his spirit.
So, your encouragement and well-wishes will let him know he’s not alone and forgotten.
Words will never fully express our gratitude for your generosity and support!
On behalf of Jesse and his family –– THANK YOU IN ADVANCE –– for anything you can do to help Jesse get back on his feet (literally)!
And to all our brothers and sisters from Hotel Trade Council Local 6, we say THANK YOU for your support and commitment to taking care of each other!
_________________________________________
[1]
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/health/coronavirus-us-maps-and-cases/
[2]
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/ecology-of-infectious-diseases-in-natural-populations/microparasites-observed-patterns/65C97B5CDFB88F471C64DDA62689A1A3
[3]
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl-ne-south-florida-doctors-report-coronavirus-amputation-20200815-zt4b7heizbcbroauxuzvm4pnhu-story.html?outputType=amp
[4]
https://nyulangone.org/news/amputation-reconstruction-recovered-covid-19-patient
[5]
https://www.tctmd.com/news/covid-19-patients-arterial-leg-thromboses-risk-amputation-and-death
[6]
https://nyulangone.org/news/amputation-reconstruction-recovered-covid-19-patient
[7]
https://www.nyp.org/rehabmed/amputation-rehabilitation
[8]
https://www.mountsinai.org/care/rehab-medicine/services/amputation-prosthetic
[9]
https://nyulangone.org/locations/center-for-amputation-reconstruction
[10]
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/what-to-know-before-getting-prosthetic-leg
[11]
https://www.hss.edu/prosthetics-orthotics.asp
[12]
https://www.abcop.org/
[13]
https://www.hss.edu/lsarc-limb-salvage-amputation-reconstruction.asp
[14]
https://www.hss.edu/condition-list_osseointegration.asp#what
[15]
https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/HealthU/2020/12/18/what-are-the-different-types-of-prostheses/
[16]
http://abcnewsradioonline.com/health-news/health-care-costs-for-boston-marathon-amputees-add-up-over-t.html
[17]
https://www.hss.edu/newsroom_prosthetic-leg-cost-over-lifetime.asp
[18]
https://www.prostheticsinmotion.com/
[19]
https://backinthegame.hss.edu/conditions-treatments/amputation/
[20]
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/nyregion/brooklyn-man-chooses-amputation-to-gain-mobility-.html?0p19G=2103