Peter's Amputation Aftermath Fund

My story begins in 1974 when I was severely burned by an abusive mother. She boiled me in a bathtub until my skin literally fell off in sheets. I received lifesaving medical care from the Shriners Children’s Hospitals throughout my childhood, but I am an adult now and the impact of that event in 1974 continues to have significant impact on my life. My injuries resulted in the loss of most of my fingers and all of my toes on both hands and feet. My left foot had been pointed downwards ever since and I lost my heel below the ankle. There was very little flesh remaining between my bones and the surface I walk on. I describe walking on it as a man who walks on his knuckles. It may be tolerable for a short time but it soon gets excruciatingly painful. Prolonged periods of walking caused my thin grafted skin to blister and tear. This has been my painful reality for 42 years. Despite all this, I remain determined to have accomplishments in life. I graduated from college, I work, and I am active in community and national affairs. I even found someone I love and who loves me. I have been happily married for 15 years. I thank God that I have been able to do all this even with the enduring pain and wounding that has hounded me all my life.In January of this year it became apparent that I could not continue to be productive without a drastic change. It was a new semester in the Middle School I work at and I was doing my best to serve the needs of the students signing up for Virtual School courses. As always, I suffered through the pain, even as I felt my skin tearing under my foot. I had been overdoing it in the prior semester already so I had three wounds on my left foot to begin with. This was more painful than I could bear and I made plans to go to the urgent care clinic that evening. After a week in the hospital the doctors gave me little hope of a brighter future and decided that the best course of action would be an above the knee amputation of my left leg. I agreed and it was amputated on June 1st 2016 - right after school broke for summer.   I tell my students "vacuums suck." Well, this vacuums greatly. The treatment and maintenance of my condition and last hospital stay incurred out-of-pocket expenses exceeding 40% of my annual salary. This turn of events has created a monumental new set of considerations, some of which I have likely not yet even thought of.I have strived and succeeded at living a meaningful life without being a burden to anyone. Circumstances now force me to ask. Please, I need your help.• Due to severe injuries to my hands, a standard wheelchair is insufficient since my hands could not take the strain of using the chair all day. I will need a “power wheelchair”. Not just any chair will do. I need the kind of wheelchair which is equipped with a power seat lift feature that will raise me above my students to teach and use the whiteboard. The cost of the kind of wheelchair that I need to remain a contributing member of society is over $18,000.  Even with prosthesis, a power chair will be a common necessity since my right foot is also damaged. I have no toes on that foot either and It is only approximately 4 inches long by 3 inches wide with very limited ankle flexibility. You might imagine, standing for the greater part of a day with daily trips across campus using that foot as the main support for my 200 pound body will be problematic at best from balance issues to pressure, stress and fatigue. • The power wheelchair will need to be transported wherever I go. My four-cylinder 2002 PT Cruiser has 130,000 miles on it. I don’t think it can carry a heavy power chair and even if it could, it is a waste of resources to modify this car given its life expectancy. The cost for a replacement vehicle modified with the lift equipment may exceed three years of my current salary and I cannot afford financing a car payment. The cost for a new vehicle, equipped with a lift, is estimated to be about $50,000.00.• I will have to make modifications to my home; ramps, safety bars, shower accommodations. These modifications will have to be determined, designed, constructed, and installed. I cannot pay for any of this on my small salary. Talking to some people, I have found out that such modifications can cost up to $10,000.00.• I am going to need prosthesis to replace my amputated leg. I already know insurance will only cover the bare minimum. In order to resume my life and be someone who will continue giving to school children and our country I am going to need an adequate prosthesis that will cost over $10,000.00. • It may sound silly, but I will soon have to purchase an entire wardrobe of pants. You see, due to my injuries my legs have always been uneven. My left leg, the one being amputated, is almost two inches shorter than my right. I have leg braces which compensate for much of the difference but I have always had to get my pants altered to accommodate for the difference. The good news is I imagine an artificial leg will be sized appropriately. The bad news is my left pant leg will be noticeably uneven to my right. Is that minor? Sure. It is just an example of the unimagined expenses this ordeal will cost. The above are things I have thought of that I am going to need. As I move forward with this ordeal I am sure that other necessary accommodations will be revealed. I need prayer. And I need your help.Will you please make a contribution to my recovery fund? There is no minimum. I will be grateful and thank God for every heart that opens up to help me get through this difficult and unexpected life change, and the enormous costs associated with it.Thank you and God bless you.