Ricky & Fran Chastain Medical Fund

Hi, my name is Sherry Seal and I am raising funds to help a good friend make it through a crisis. Ricky and Fran Chastain have been serving the community for many years by being foster/adoptive parents, booster club members, volunteer concession stand managers, Girl Scout leaders and more. They encouraged their 13 children to be involved in extra-curricular activities and they always found ways to support those activities and volunteer to help in some supporting role to help the coaches and the kids. The Chastain’s have been married for 29 years.

Ricky has worked full-time starting at the age of 16 years old and rarely missed a day of work. He also worked a side job of cutting grass and helping his neighbors with whatever tasks they needed. He never said no to someone who needed his help. That is, until July of 2022 at the age of 56 when his kidneys stopped working properly and put him in the hospital for 10 days. After working hard for 40 years, Ricky was unable to go back to work at Scovill Fasteners. Since then, he has struggled to find his strength and have a day without a doctor’s appointment. In April of 2023, Ricky started dialysis three days a week and if you know anything about dialysis, it drains you of all your energy.

On Friday, February 9, 2024, Ricky had to go to the ER because his foot was causing him so much pain. He was admitted to NEGMC and on Saturday, February 10, 2024, they amputated all five toes on his right foot. If this was not stressful enough, the infection in his foot spread and on Friday, February 16, 2024, they amputated his foot back to his heel/ankle. As they wait to see if this will be enough or if they will have to take his leg up to the knee, Fran and his family are staying by his side. His other health issues are taking a hit as happens with diabetics and it is making it hard to recover. Following the hospital stay will be a long stay in rehab which will bring on new challenges.

After a year and a half, Ricky still has not been approved for his SSI disability, which as you can imagine has been a strain on the household budget. The medical bills that insurance does not cover, the many trips up and down the road to stay by Ricky’s side and the money to eat on the go are taking another toll. There will also be a financial need to make handicap accessibility changes to the home. This family needs your help to get through this stressful time. They need your prayers and encouragement and if you can and feel called to give please give to this gofundme or Venmo @Fran-Chastain