Support Joe Gallegos on His Long Road to Recovery

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones. This year, our family’s holidays looked a little different. In October, there was a traumatic accident involving our Dad, Joey G., and his precious 2-year-old granddaughter, Reese.

During a weekend visit to Karen and Joe’s home, Reese jumped into a parked golf cart at the top of their steep driveway by herself. The cart began to roll down the hill, headed for the busy street. Dad was able to put his body in the path of the moving golf cart, pick it up, and change the direction of the cart, saving Reese in the process. Reese suffered a few minor scrapes and bruises, but thankfully nothing more.

Unfortunately, Dad was struck by the golf cart causing his body to fly backward, hitting the driveway and cracking his skull and breaking his ribs. He was immediately airlifted to Sutter Hospital in Roseville, where he underwent emergency brain surgery. Doctors removed two pieces of his skull to relieve the pressure in his brain.

He remained heavily sedated for a few days to allow his body to rest and heal without interruption. He then remained under the careful watch of the incredible ICU Neuro nurses and doctors at Sutter Roseville for 28 days.

In early December, Dad was admitted to the Acute Rehab Facility at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose. There he receives four intensive therapies a day and will continue this therapy at least for the next six weeks.

Dad is currently relearning how to do daily activities like standing, talking, writing, feeding himself, and brushing his teeth. He is working diligently to get back to the Joey G. we all know and love: caring, charismatic, and always lending a helping hand.

Once he is released from Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, our family will return home to Auburn together to care for Dad. He will have to undergo another open-brain surgery to replace his skull bones. We will then still need to travel back and forth to his outpatient rehab multiple times a week. There is still the potential for more long-term in-home care and rehab, too.

This has been a life-changing event for our family. We have been so blessed with an outpouring of support and we want to thank everyone who has helped us so far. However, the expenses—both medical and day-to-day basics for our family—have begun to rack up quickly. To reduce stress and focus on Joe’s healing, we are asking for donations to help our family through this challenging time. There is no contribution too small to help us.

We wouldn’t be able to do this without your continued love and support. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

With Love,

Joe, Karen, Leanna, Brendan, Jenna, Angelo & Reese