Help Him Heal

  I humbly beg for your help -- my friends, my family, the friends of my friends and family.  My brother-in-law, who lives in Austin, is in dire need of Fistulotomy surgery.  Currently he has two Fistulas.  One ruptured close to his anus and the other one is heading to his scrotum.  It's a mass building up within the muscle and creating a channel to his scrotum where the same thing will occur as well. 

  One way a fistula may form is from an abscess -- a pocket of pus in the body. The abscess may be constantly filling with body fluids such as stool or urine, which prevents healing. Eventually the fistula breaks through to the skin, another body cavity, or an organ. http://ibdcrohns.about.com/cs/relatedconditions/a/fistula.htm

  The problem is that when they burst they ooze out continuously and cause a serious infection and we all know infections and can kill you.  He has insurance through Aetna but due to the hospital where he is at he has to pay 50% of the out of pocket expense up front, which is about $1,600 plus he has to pay a $395 co-pay.  That makes the entire surgery about $3,595.  Since this is an approximate amount, I’m trying to raise $4,000 for them.

  I understand that people should have savings and they should be able to handle the upfront cost.  Normally yes, but they were hit with a doozy last year.  His wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to do all the chemo treatments and a double mastectomy. She is currently doing Herceptin treatments and is in remission but they are still paying on that huge bill. This is why they are unable to come up with the money for his surgery.

  I am doing this fundraiser for them.  Every penny will go to them. If any money is left over after the surgery, they can put it towards their cancer bill.  Every penny helps.  It is why there is no set amount to donate designated.  I don’t care if it’s $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $1,000. The goal is set at $4,000.  The money will be going directly to them to their paypal account.  I will not even have access to it.

  The time is ticking for him since one already burst and will result in an infection.  They have not brought this up sooner to the family because they thought they may be able to handle it but they now know they can’t.  The entire family has already suffered a great loss when his father passed away December 15, 2011.  He is the only surviving male in their family. I don’t want to lose him as a brother either.  You all (my friends and family) know me to be honest and straight forward and that if I am asking for this, it is not some scheme or plot to profit myself. If you don’t believe me or trust me and want to speak with him about it you can e-mail me your contact information and I will give it to him.  If this miraculously reaches someone I don’t know, you may reach me at [email protected].

  Please understand your donations will not be a tax write off.  I don’t even know how that works.  I don’t even know if I’ll get hit with some kind of bill either but I’m trying to save my brother-in-law.  I am also sorry I have no rewards or anything to give in return for your help.  I sincerely apologize for this.

  From the bottom of my heart, as well as the rest of the family, thank you!  Thank you for even taking the time to read this.  I have never done this (fundraising and publicly asking for help) before and neither have they.  Again, thank you!