Support Ruth, Let’s get her back on the mountain!

Update 12/18 from Louis : Today's Update: When people say they can't afford to be sick, they are not joking!

Ruths medical bills are currently over $4,000,000.00 and we still have months of rehab in front of us. Who knows what it will look like once the case workers and insurance company is done ducking it out. Trust me it's not my priority at the moment.

My focus still remains on getting Mrs Ruth Cusack's health back. She is getting stronger, but still wheelchair bound, and able to say 4-5 words. Ruth continues to rebuild those connections from her brain to tell the rest of her body what to do.

Thank You for your prayers, support and encouragement.

You have all helped us get through this.

Update!

Ruth continues to improve almost every day. She is starting to show the Strong Independant Women that we all know her to be!

The Good News: Yesterday we were given a targeted completion (when they believe she will be ready) date of January 29, 2025.

Continued Care: Craig is also recommending a Quality-of-Life rehab facility where they said she would get the help she needs to get back to 100% as quickly as possible. They do not offer this to all of their patients, but they think it would be a great option for Ruth considering how well she is improving and responding to rehab.

The Best News: One of the rehab facilities that CRAIG recommends is within 30 miles of where Ruth grew up and she still has a lot of family very close that would be able to visit and help!

Update from Louis 11/15. Our welcome to the CRAIG way was pretty amazing yesterday. Ruth was fitted with a special wheel chair, she wore her own clothes for the 1st time in 50 days and she aced her speech therapy session.

Mailing Address for Ruth: Craig Hospital C/O: Beatrice R. Cusack

3425 S CLARKSON ST

ENGLEWOOD, CO 80113-2811

She can even receive Flowers now that she is out of ICU.

As always! Thank You for your prayers, your support and your encouragement!

Update~ 11/9 After seeing Ruth a few nights ago, you just have to hear how well she is doing! She is able to wiggle her toes when she concentrates and looks at her feet! This is literally her brain re learning how to tell her body what to do. When she gets to Craig Neuro rehabilitation Hospital, Ruth will have different therapies working with her and Louis for 8 hours a day. Her choice to work hard and get better, paired with the knowledge of this type of brain injury from the experts at Craig, will advance Ruth’s progress by leaps and bounds! Her final review by Craig/medivac is scheduled for Monday, with Flight to Craig on Tuesday! If you have the financial ability to help Louis and Ruth during this life altering medical crisis, please do! Thank you, and I’ll let you know how the trip to Craig goes!

Ruth Cusack is an amazing outdoorsman, hunter, and all-around fantastic woman who donates an incredible amount of her time to outdoor conservation and the betterment of Alaska’s wildlife resource. Ruth, along with her husband Louis, through their work with SCI Alaska Chapter, helped raise millions of dollars to fund conservation, advocate for hunting rights, instruct outdoor education courses and—as part of SCI’s Warriors On Safari program—provide hunting opportunities for wounded veterans.

On September 27th, less than 48 hours after returning from a remote Alaskan Moose hunt with husband Louis, Ruth suffered a brain aneurysm, collapsed, and was taken to Alaska Regional Medical Center in Anchorage. Ruth is a fighter. She has undergone many procedures, including coiling of the ruptured aneurysm after a subsequent stroke, intubation, drains in her cranium and lumbar, feeding tubes, tracheostomy, and more.

The good news is that, despite these many challenges, Ruth is recovering! She is currently breathing on her own, eating ice chips that are fed to her, doing daily therapy, and recently said her first words since the event. She is recovering from the trauma and surgery, but she is not out of the woods yet!

On November 4th Ruth will undergo another surgery to coil off a second aneurysm. She has been accepted at the Craig Neurorehabilitation Center in Denver, Colorado and she will shortly be transferred, via medevac, to their facility. Louis will accompany her and receive the training necessary to help her recover once they return home.

Ruth has medical insurance, but she cannot receive the level of rehabilitation she requires in Alaska. By the time she departs for rehab, she will have already had two major surgeries and spent over 45 days in the ICU at Alaska Regional Hospital. The staff have been great, and they haven’t seen a bill yet, however accounts will need to be settled at some point in the near future. We are asking for your help with expenses that are not covered by insurance. The medivac flight–not covered by insurance–will cost over $50,000, there is also a $10,000 max out of pocket expense, flights for Louis, rental cars, meals, etc., and other costs of care that are not covered by insurance.

Ruth and Louis donate their time, money, and hard-earned wild game and seafood to help others less fortunate than themselves. If you can help this stellar couple out, as they have helped so many others, please consider a donation.

If you would prefer to donate outside of this site, you can also donate via PayPal @ [email redacted], or Venmo @Louis-Cusack-1 or Zelle @ [email redacted]

We are asking you to please consider helping this couple who are now in need of your support!