On May 10th, my brother, Eric, fell from a height of approximately 25 feet off a ladder while installing siding on a home in Franklin, PA. He was taken by ambulance to a helipad, then flown by helicopter to Hamot Medical Center in Erie, PA. Upon examination, doctors discovered he had broken his T11 and T12 vertebrae, had two broken ribs, and had a bruised lung. His left index finger was severely lacerated and has permanent tendon damage and he suffered an injury to his head resulting in a large hematoma.
Eric was taken into surgery to repair the vertebrae, and surgeons attached rods and screws to his T10 and L1. He suffered many sleepless nights screaming in intense pain. Eric worked very hard to fight against his unbearable pain so doctors could switch him over to oral pain medications from IV medications. This was necessary in order for him to be transferred to the Spinal Cord Injury Institute at UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. It took him a week, but Eric is now at UPMC Mercy. A week ago, doctors delivered the grim news that Eric will most likely never walk again. Doctors have also just recently discovered two hemangiomas on his liver which are causing additional severe pain.
Eric has 4 children ranging in age from 8 to 16. His oldest son, James, lives with Eric. James’ mother is deceased. Eric’s other three children live with their mother in North Carolina. Friends of Eric have taken James in to live with them, which has been an unbelievable blessing. My brother had been through some tough times prior to the accident and was working every opportunity he could get to earn more money. He was his own boss, doing all sorts of jobs including carpentry, siding, roofing, HVAC, electrical, etc. He is a “Jack of all trades” and does each of them well. Unfortunately, the town in which he currently lives is economically depressed and jobs are few and far between so he was not earning much money. His only possessions are clothing, a bed, and a car he will not be able to modify with hand controls, etc. as it has a manual transmission.
Eric and James are on Medicaid, which will pay for most, if not all, of his hospital costs and buy him a wheelchair, from what I understand, but once he is out of the hospital, he will have nothing. He is currently renting a room in a house owned by some friends and they are working to get a wheelchair ramp installed and arrange his room so it is wheelchair friendly so when he’s released from the hospital (maybe as early as June 17th) he will be able to get into the house and move about his room in his wheelchair.
My brother’s hope right now is to move to North Carolina to be closer to his other 3 children and give James a better community to grow up in with more opportunity. He is hoping to make this move before the new school year to make it easier for James. The timing of the move also depends on whether or not Eric is physically capable of making the long ride from PA to NC. If they do move to NC, it takes a year to become a resident and in order to receive any financial help from the state, you must be a resident.
We are asking for your prayers that God will heal my brother and give him back the use of his legs, if it is His will. We also ask for any amount you can donate to help Eric and James get through this extremely difficult time in their lives. Our goal is to raise $75,000.00 to pay for a new handicap modified vehicle and one year of insurance coverage, provide enough money to cover moving costs to North Carolina, a year’s rent in a handicap accessible apartment and buy furniture for their apartment, clothes for James, and cover food and utility costs for a year.
Thank you for taking the time to read this request. Your prayers and monetary gifts are greatly appreciated.
