Hello, Devon Coates here... For those unfamiliar; I was in a motorcycle accident in June, 2024 that left me paralyzed from the bellybutton down. Surgery #1 - T12 burst fracture with multiple compacted discs. Steel bar and hardware installed. Surgery #2 - 2 plates + hardware and "bone cement" rebuilding collarbone. Surgery #3/4 - Sepsis (infection in the blood). Wound needed to be opened completely back open to clean thoroughly with antibiotic solution, scraping out and removing any dead tissue. Sterile foam was installed underneath the bandage so a wound-vacuum can suck out any infected blood until the infection is processed through (3.5 days). They then open it all and inspect thoroughly before stitching me up. Surgery #5 (my favorite) - Original surgeon's hardware came loose resulting in the steel bar pinching and pulverizing another vertebrae. Surgeon opened me back up all the way to replace all of the hardware and make sure it's done properly. They also attached steel bars and hardware from my pelvis to the other steel bar. The UTIs luckily didn't come into play until after the surgeries, but I've lost track of the number of UTIs that they've let slip through the cracks. I'm currently experiencing #9 or 10. Every single one of them is due to the nurse-assistants not cleaning me thoroughly. I've learned not to trust that they do their job sufficiently so I feel like I have to babysit the people left in charge of my health and well-being. Good thing I'm getting really good at it. I've been making lots of progress getting stronger and being able to get around by myself, but the biggest battle has been nutrition. In reality, nutrition is important with being able to stay strong mentally. If we allow our hunger to drag us down, we will only be distracted from taking action where and when we need to. I am signed up for disability assistance and everything so things will fall into place while i find where "home" will be. I've had a few apartments now that I almost got into, but they back out at the last second because they don't like the complications that come with accepting my "housing voucher" even though, they will get the money they are asking for. The change in plans is to prioritize getting back to Bellingham where (most) all my family and friends are and I can better flourish there. The move will also be into an adult-family-home which is a better transition from the nursing home I'm stuck in and from there I can look for work possibilities and juggle apartment applications. I was dreaming about getting a foldable power-wheelchair so I thought I'd put up a go-fund-me to try and reach for one, but ultimately the money will go towards my storage unit and phone bills and being able to buy groceries (apples and peanut butter, carrots to snack on, dried fruits, and seltzer waters. Gotta love a good bubbly). Thanks for reading. Remember, you don't recieve help that you don't reach out to recieve. Love y'all!
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