Support Bob Langston's Heart Recovery

My name is Leane Langston and I am starting this for my husband, Bob.

Nearly a month ago, Bob collapsed at home and was rushed to the local hospital, where we learned he had experienced multiple small strokes and a very serious infection of his mitral valve. The infection created calcification which began to break away and traveled to his brain, thus causing the strokes.

Fortunately, the strokes were minor in comparison to the real damage- his heart. For almost a month now, he has been in the hospital receiving round-the-clock IV antibiotics to combat the infection and a little over a week ago, Bob received open heart surgery to replace the damaged valve.

About Bob:

Bob Langston is the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator and Conservation educator at the North Carolina Zoo. But, he is so much more than that.

Throughout his 20+ years at the zoo and in the community, he has worked tirelessly to bring attention to caring for the environment, one person and one community at a time. Not because it's in his job description, but because it is his passion and his commitment in being a good steward of this planet we call home. One only has to google his name and you will find countless articles about his work. In addition to his efforts for the NC Zoo, he has dedicated many hours of his personal time to Keep Randolph Beautiful, a grassroots movement that he was instrumental in developing, which galvanizes local volunteers called The Local Heroes of Downtown Asheboro. Together, these amazing volunteers get together once a month to clean up trash and promote community pride.

One of his biggest sources of joy has come from speaking to elementary school children about why we should care about the effects of trash and pollution as it pertains to protecting wildlife survival as well as our own. In fact, many of those children are now young adults who still remember "Mr. Bob" and his alter ego, "The Litter Dude" - a super hero persona dedicated to the protection of our planet through community clean ups and passing that awareness on to the grownups in their lives. And while he has been given numerous awards from local and state municipalities for his extraordinary accomplishments, Bob has received countless letters of thank you and lovely drawings from those schoolchildren and they are among his most prized possessions.

While we await Bob's ability to return home from the hospital, the medical bills are mounting. We have no idea yet what our responsibility will be even after insurance, but we are trying to be prepared. This will include medical supplies and in-home supervision in order to help him regain his lost strength and mobility. It may be a lengthy process. Since I lost my full-time job due to an MS diagnosis nearly two years ago, it will be even more difficult for us.

If you've read this far, thank you from both of us. Our philosophy has always been "Just Be a Good Human" and we have strived to live that.

If you able, we appreciate your help immensely and thank you from the bottom of hearts. If you cannot donate, then please just do this- Be a Good Human. The world needs us more than ever.

Much love,

Leane Langston, Bob's wife.