Jerome Borden, also known by many as Cowboy was recently diagnosed with ALS. Many do not know what this is. It is basically a nervous system disease that weakens muscles and impacts physical function. So in simpler terms, your muscles deteriorate and you lose all mobility of your limbs if you live through that stage. It also has several other symptoms that come along with it. This horrible disease is progressing very rapidly. In fact all 3 neurologists he’s seen is very shocked it’s moving so quickly. Three months ago he was riding his Harley and living life normal. Today he is struggling with daily life activities such as eating and getting dressed. He does have insurance but we all know insurance isn’t like it used to be and the Dr bills are racking up VERY QUICKLY. My Mom and I are having to take off work to take him to dr appointments. There is equipment that he is going to require as well. For example, we are about to order a power chair because he can’t walk long distances already. He will eventually have to use his head to control it because he is losing all mobility of his hands very quickly and will not be able to use the hand controller. That technology is not going to be cheap. It will also have to include a lift to help us get him in and out of it. Also, it will have to recline back so he can sleep in it when needed. There is a possibility we will have to get him a bed that helps us lift and turn him as well. He will need a chair that we can swap him into and wheel him into the shower. We may have to end up purchasing a handicap van as well. There are other expenses we are facing such as remodeling their bathroom so that he will have a tiled shower we can roll him into. We may have to widen all of the door frames so his chair can fit through them. We will have to build a ramp so he can get on and off the porch. We may have to hire in home healthcare as well because I refuse to send him to a nursing home. This is all we have thought about at this time. Other things may have to be done as time goes on. If he agrees to do therapy we will have to take him back and forth to Vanderbilt once a month so he can get physical therapy for his muscles / movement, classes that teach him how to cope with things and just talk with other ALS patients for support and tips, and further down the rd he will have to have respiratory therapy because you eventually have trouble breathing and the actual cause of death is basically suffocating. My Mom has thought she had his life insurance policy taken care of for years but come to find out, it is only accidental. So at this point it’s going to be near impossible to find someone to put a policy on him. If we do find someone it is going to be outrageous. That is another huge obstacle we are going to be facing. When it rains it pours has never been so true. My Dad is so giving, he’d give someone his last dollar and shirt off of his back. At first he didn’t want any “handouts”. But we have finally made him realize he’s always been financially blessed enough to helped people his whole life and it’s ok for him to accept help during this chapter of his life. I can’t tell you how many times he has worked on someone’s car, motorcycle, boat or home repairs and refused to accept a penny. However, at this time we are having to take every route possible to keep up with all of these expenses and ensure he is going to be as comfortable as possible once he loses all mobility. If you can find it in your heart to donate even $1 we will be super grateful and appreciative. Please share this to spread the word.
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