Support a veteran and CPS to save his home.

Hello, everyone.

My name is Sam Rapier. A lot of you may remember me from when I coordinated the Georgia Certified Peer Specialist Training for the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network.

At this time, I desperately need your help. Doug and I are about to lose our home because of medical bills in excess of $57,000 that we have had to pay out of pocket. Initially, we were able to stabilize our finances by reorganizing and consolidating our bills through a Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan, but a recent job loss resulting from workplace discrimination against me, because I have a chronic health condition, has put us in severe financial peril. On top of that Doug was hospitalized on August 15th due to septic pneumonia. We are going to lose our home in 1 month if we can't find a way out of this. We are trying everything that we can think of to get back on track. We are currently behind on our mortgage and other bills by $18,000 because of the need to purchase life-saving medical equipment necessary to ensure Doug's continued health.

Before I go any further, let me back up and begin with a couple of introductions and an explanation. In the picture, I'm the one holding the cat (His name is Digi. He believes himself to be the actual owner - or at the very least, ruler - of our home. He is a cat after all. Doug and I are just glad he hasn't attempted to deify himself.) Beside me is my husband - and the main reason that I'm probably still alive and kicking - Doug. We've been together for 31 years, even though it still only seems like yesterday.

Doug is also a graduate of West Point Military Academy and a Retired US Army Captain. He is the most stubborn and determined individual I have ever met. These are two of his best qualities, by the way, because they represent his understanding and value of Hope. He doesn't ever give up. Let me share 3 very noteworthy examples:

1) First off, when I first began showing signs and symptoms of schizophrenia in 2001 after we had moved to Atlanta, Doug never gave up on me. There were many times during the early years of my diagnosis when I could say I was definitely a mess. But Doug never doubted me. He stood by me every step of the way. He never showed anger or frustration. And I could always count on that goofy, supportive smile of his along with words of encouragement whenever I felt like things were falling apart. Doug was and is always my proof that we're going to make it and things will work out okay.

2) On November 12, 2015, Doug had a stroke severe enough to require that he be airlifted from Gwinnett County Medical Center to Grady Hospital Stroke Center. At Grady, the doctors told me he had less than a 50% chance of surviving the stroke. Doug's will, however, proved stronger than their predictions. He was on his feet again in less than 2 days trying to sweet-talk the ICU nurses into letting him go home. The stroke has had long-term effects on both his memory and balance, but Doug has remained a fountain of hope through it all.

3) On January 10, 2019, I came home from work and Doug told me was having some difficulty breathing. I immediately took him to the emergency room at Piedmont Eastside Hospital in Snellville. As the doctor was checking on him, he experienced ventricular fibrillation which is the cause of Sudden Cardiac Death. This particular type of heart problem has no warning signs and once it starts you have 4 minutes before the heart stops and you die. I was really lucky that we had gotten to the hospital by the time we did. We were in the ER room for no more than 15 minutes before Doug's heart stopped due to ventricular fibrillation. His heart stopped for 3 and a half minutes before the ER staff were able to resuscitate him. Doug was able to recover from this after a few months.

Is Doug stubborn? Yep. Is he determined? Definitely. However, Doug's recovery from the episode of Sudden Cardiac Death also hinged on a truly miraculous piece of life-saving technology called a Life Vest. Whenever an individual is at risk of Sudden Cardiac Death, a LifeVest is a self-contained, computer-monitored defibrillator worn 24 hours a day/7 days a week to provide protection from ventricular fibrillation that is the cause of Sudden Cardiac Death. This device is worn while the person is also receiving restorative medical treatments to return the heart to full functioning. Without it, Doug wouldn't be alive today. This device alone costs $37,000 and insurance only covers about half this cost.

On August 15, 2023, Doug went into the hospital because he was having difficulty breathing, vertigo, and a high fever. The doctors diagnosed him as having pneumonia which was rapidly becoming septic. Fortunately, we got him to the hospital in time for the doctors to prevent the full onset of sepsis, but the overall impact of pneumonia on his heart has required that he again begin using the LifeVest system that he needed previously. This is due to the increased risk of him experiencing ventricular fibrillation because of his weakened condition resulting from the pneumonia. He is currently participating in an acute inpatient rehabilitation program to regain his strength.

At this point, I must make a declaration to bring everything around full circle. If Doug, myself, and our cats have to live under a bridge in order for him to have the protection of that LifeVest, so be it. I have almost lost him 3 times now and I am not taking any risks regarding his health. That being said, I am truly hoping things will not come to that, but he never gave up on me and I will never give up on him. In fact, we have already received the LifeVest equipment and he is wearing it.

On top of everything that Doug is struggling to overcome, I have also been facing my own health challenges. In March 2019, I was hospitalized with sepsis that developed while I was presenting Art and Recovery groups at the 2019 Spring Fling Recovery Conference. I actually died and was resuscitated during the course of the doctors treating the infection. I also found out that the HIV, which I had successfully managed for over 30 years, had seroconverted to full-blown AIDS. This has resulted in me having to make changes to keep a more consistent eye on self-care, but it has not been insurmountable. I have had to become more consistent in getting rest.

If anyone out there can be of any support during this time, it will be beyond appreciated. Many of you already know that I encourage everyone to seek the support that they need during challenging times. And although it requires humility and - to some degree - the foregoing of baser pride to seek help from others, I am fine with that. I have always believed in humility and no amount of pride would ever be worth the risk of losing even one second of my time with Doug.

So, in closing, if you can be of any help or support there are no words capable of expressing our gratitude. I do, however, want to leave you with a statement that I wrote and used when I was coordinating the CPS trainings at GMHCN. It is titled, "Remember...,"

"If you remember anything from our time together, remember this:

You are perfect in your imperfection. You are not now – nor have you ever been – “broken,” “not right,” or in any way less than any other individual who has ever dwelled upon this world.

You are the manifestation of the creative power of the universe…, of God…, of Yahweh…, of Allah…, or any other name you wish to

use…, to stand as a testament to hope, strength, and uniqueness.

You are here for a purpose that – be it yet discovered or no – exists to better and enlighten this world.

So stand strong, stand together, love everyone (including yourself), and with the hope that is born not in the light, but ignited as a small spark in the deepest darkness and carried by the power of faith, go out into the world to make better each and every life that you meet."

I will always stand by these words because it is our relationships and actions toward others that define us and speak to the life that we have lived. I pray that everyone will continue fighting the good fight to build a kinder, just and more beautiful world. As much as possible, always remember to commit random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty. They leave a mark on the world that is far more powerful than most realize.

We appreciate you taking the time to read these words. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Samuel H. Rapier, Doug Patrick,