Brian's Story
I love my job. I've been a physical therapist for twenty-seven years and I've met many inspiring people along the way. My patients and their families never cease to amaze me. I couldn't be prouder that my patient Brian and his father, Jose, are one of the first recipients of Chari-T2000 funds. This family is truly deserving and the funds have helped them in their struggles immensely. In their case the money was utilized for much-needed legal fees.
Five years ago Brian was involved in a motor vehicle accident on his family's summer trip to Mexico. He sustained a traumatic brain injury that left him with spastic quadriplegia and a host of other issues. Brian and his younger brother were the only two survivors of the accident. They lost their mother, sister and an uncle. He was thirteen at the time. Jose, their father, was the only family member not directly involved in the accident because he was not traveling with the family due to work obligations. Since the accident, Jose has been the primary caretaker of Brian and his eight-year-old brother.
Due to miscommunications, a lack of funding and a prognosis listed as poor, services were not provided to Brian and his family when they should have been. This lack of professional services has hindered the speed of Brian's progress as has his spasticity. In spite of his hard schedule, his father has done a remarkable job managing Brian over these past five years. He works the graveyard shift in order to care for Brian during the day. Some family and friends help in the late afternoon and into the night so Jose can get the three to four hours sleep he must have before he returns to work. Even with these barriers, his father has proven to be an amazing caretaker and has shown an incredible strength of spirit throughout this journey.
In addition to Brian's physical obstacles, he also began experiencing legal ones when he turned eighteen. In the eyes of the law, he is now considered an adult. Therefore, he is supposedly able to make decisions for himself. It makes no difference that he is unable to do so and that his father has been his caretaker the last five years. The care taking responsibilities his father has been handling include performing routine tasks such as registering him for school and making medical decisions. The law states that in order for his father to continue to care for him and act on his behalf, he must obtain guardianship. In order to obtain guardianship, his father needed to retain the services of an attorney, which would be costly. The family was already struggling to make ends meet. Before April, when THERAPY 2000 got involved, they were also paying for supplies (diapers, formula for feeding tube & wheelchair) out-of-pocket.
It was Kristin Mycke, one of THERAPY 2000's experienced social workers, who found an attorney that would represent Brian's father for a flat fee of $600. Although it seems like a reasonable amount, the family was not able to come up with that kind of cash, with so many other financial obligations, on such short notice. Assistance was requested through Chari-T2000 and was quickly approved. Upon hearing of Chari-T2000's involvement, the attorney lowered his fee by $100, which then further reduced the amount the family needed to contribute. They were able to pay their portion and now the legal fees have been covered completely. Thanks to Chari-T2000 the process of Brian's father obtaining guardianship is nearly complete. The final court hearing is set for August 11th. This will make all current and future appointments and issues much easier for the family. Brian's dad can make decisions on his behalf in the same manner that he has always done, but it will be within the scope of the law as well. On another positive note, Brian is also about to start therapy in an inpatient rehab facility for a short time, after the placement of a Baclofen pump to help reduce his tone. He will be back with THERAPY 2000 when he is discharged. I am hopeful and optimistic about his potential for progress in the future and thrilled to be a part of it!
As a Physical Therapist, I could not be more proud to be part of THERAPY 2000, an incredible organization that goes so far above and beyond the scope of normal therapy services. On behalf of this family, I would like to say thank you. Chari-T2000's willingness to approve this funding has positively impacted Brian and his family.
