My family and I would love to invite EVERYONE to join us in supporting my dad, Tom Russell, through this benefit. If you've been following my family's Facebook posts/updates about my dad then you know a little bit about our situation concerning his declining health. Here's a full overview of his diagnosis and current condition:
FTD is a rare form of dementia that attacks the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, affecting behavior, language, muscle movement, etc. Over half of all cases occur in ages 45-64 years old. My dad, Tom, has had symptoms since 2010 but wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2014 at age 57. Life expectancy is only 5-10 years after onset of symptoms. He’s currently 6 years into the FTD symptoms. In April 2015, Tom was moved to a nursing home. He is unable to do most things on his own except swallow and breathe, however his ability to swallow liquids has recently become difficult. Due to the nursing home bills, medications, health care cost, and very young ages of Tom and Peggy (my mom), the debt is piling up by the thousands every month.
As you can imagine, my family is distraught. However, we have maintained hope and faith that Dad will either not suffer long or he will be healed. While we’re not sure what the future holds, what we do know is that the financial strain is extremely stressful. Mom is working full-time and our family has done everything in our power to utilize every financial option available via governmental programs, grants, the medical system, etc. Now we’re calling on ALL our friends, family, coworkers, business owners and anyone who can sympathize with our desperate situation to help us.
We’re hosting a Trivia Night Benefit on Saturday, September 3rd at the Mississippi River Eagles Club in Crystal City, MO in hopes of raising $10,000+ to pay the nursing home. This will make a huge dent in what is owed!
There will be:
prizes // silent auction // raffles // mulligans // snacks // cash bar // etc
Our hope is that EVERYONE who has heard about our situation will join us for a fun and supportive night. We're SO excited to see everyone and catch up. Personally, I'm most excited about meeting Dad's friends/distant family members that I've never met. It brings me tears of joy when I read encouraging comments on our posts from people that I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting. I would love to meet and shake the hands of all those people. The world is truly full of good people, despite what the media portrays.
So THANK YOU in advance for spreading the word, signing up for a table with your friends/family, and for praying diligently for Dad and our family.
Katie Whitley
Visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/289552371405257/ for more information.
