
Feldman Shepherd
Trial lawyers for the most important things in life
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It’s been a very long and difficult road that Mike has been on and there is still a very long road ahead of him. It seems that for every step forward he makes in his recovery there are setbacks to follow. I cannot even begin to imagine how emotionally straining it is for Mike to cope with the realization of his paralysis combined with the almost constant pain from his brachial plexus nerve injury. I had never even heard of this type of injury until Mike’s accident and it was devastating to read about how the pain is described as putting your arm into a deep fryer or crushing it in a vice. There are only a few hospitals in the country that have a specialized team to treat brachial plexus nerve injuries. After Mike completes his weeks of inpatient acute rehab the next challenge is getting him to one of these hospitals to see if there is anything that can be done to treat or correct his injury. Mike will have to be flown to this hospital via a medical transport flight which is not covered by insurance. Once Mike recovers enough to be brought home he will require several hours a day of in-home skilled care, home accessibility modifications, specialized physical therapy and also a wheelchair accessible vehicle. As you can imagine all of these things are very expensive and we are learning that NONE of them are covered by insurance. This is why Mike needs our help.
In spite of everything that Mike has been enduring he remains optimistic that he can beat this and we are hopeful that he will be able to achieve some improvement with his paralysis and pain. Mike has a HUGE heart and was always the first person to lend a helping hand if anyone he knew was in need. He is the one now who needs our help. We are determined to get Mike everything he needs to make the fullest recovery possible and to one day be able to live independently again. From what we have learned and according to studies by The University of Alabama National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the costs of living with the type of SCI Mike has can exceed $500,000 in just the first year and $60,000+ each subsequent year.
To help with the financial burden of Mike’s uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in his honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 30 years. HelpHOPELive assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for donors. Donors can be sure that funds donated will be used only to pay or reimburse medically-related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to Mike’s fundraising campaign, click on the Donate Now button.
Thank you so much for any help you can offer, as well as for your continued support and prayers for Mike. Be sure to check back here at Mike’s campaign page because we will be planning some fundraising events soon and posting updates regularly. If you’d like to volunteer to help, please email me at the address below.
Scott Comia, Mike’s brother
[email protected]
For more information, please contact HelpHOPELive at 800.642.8399.
It’s been an eventful last few weeks since our last update!
Mike was discharged from the rehabilitation hospital on the morning of 3/4/16 & he started his journey to Mayo Clinic with a quick stop in St. Louis. Mike was very excited but a little nervous too. The trip was sure to be an adventure but also marked the start of a very critical point of his recovery regarding the future use of his right arm.
We made it on the plane and to St. Louis without any problems at all. It went so much better than any of us expected and it wouldn’t of been possible without the help from great friends, family and the amazing staff at Southwest Airlines. Mike only had 3 days in St. Louis before heading up to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN but it was enough for him to see some family and friends. Mike for the first time in 5-1/2 months was able to simply go out to dinner and visit with friends and family which seemed to make him very happy to have a little bit of normalcy back in his life.
Mike arrived in Rochester on Tuesday 3/8/16 and his appointments started the next day on 3/9/16. Mike has be undergoing several tests and doing therapy since then. He still has a couple more tests this week before the doctors can determine what can be done for the brachial plexus nerve injury in his right arm. The doctors are great at Mayo Clinic and we are praying and holding out hope that they will be able to achieve some regained use in Mike’s right arm. Please continue to keep Mike in your thoughts & prayers!
It’s been a little over 5 weeks with no setbacks and trips to the hospital!!! Over the past couple weeks Mike has really been noticing some improvement in strength and has been learning a lot of new things. In therapy they have been teaching him how to do more with his left arm. Last week they transferred Mike to the TLC Program which stands for Transitional Living Care. Here they focus on teaching him how to adapt to living outside of inpatient care to the best of his ability.
Also an important date is quickly approaching. On March 4th we are taking Mike to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to have his brachial plexus nerve injury evaluated. This is something that Mike and us have been working towards for a long time! The Mayo Clinic has one of the top, if not the top brachial plexus nerve teams in the country. We are very hopeful that they will be able to help Mike to regain some use of his right arm. Please continue to keep Mike in your thoughts & prayers over the next few weeks as this opportunity has a small window that is closing soon.
Mike is going on 2 weeks that he has managed to stay out of the hospital without any setbacks! The first week back to the Acute Rehabilitation hospital he was still pretty sick and not completely over the Pseudomonas Aeruginosa infection but he did what rehabbing he could. This past week though you could tell he was improving and feeling much better. He was able to do more of his rehabilitation and was sounding more like himself.
We got some GREAT news this past Friday! The Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota had been reviewing all of Mike’s medical records regarding his Traumatic Brachial Plexus Nerve Injury and they notified us last Friday that they have agreed to see him! The Mayo Clinic in Rochester has one of the top, if not the top, Brachical Plexus Nerve teams in the country. By them agreeing to see him, this means that they think there is a high potential that they can do something to get some regained use or function back in his right arm. They scheduled appointments for him on March 9th & 10th to come there and conduct further tests and evaluations to confirm what they can do. Now we just have to figure out how to get him there from California…
This was awesome news for Mike and really lifted his spirits, especially after dealing with extreme illness from the Pseudomonas Aeruginosa infection he had been battling for 3 weeks. Unfortunately this good news was followed by some not so good news that same day. We had been misinformed initially about his insurance coverage for durable medical equipment. We had been thinking all along that his insurance would cover 80% of the basic essential assistance equipment necessary for him to be able to come home after rehab. We found out Friday after the Rehab Hospital was fitting him for a power wheelchair that he actually only has $4,000 of coverage annually for durable medical equipment. The wheelchair he needs is $55,000+ alone. The type of air bed he needs to prevent bed sores starts in the $20,000 range & the Hoyer lift needed to transfer him from his wheelchair to bed, to regular chair or to commode starts around $5,000. So just for the initial core equipment he will need to come home from the Rehab Hospital it will cost somewhere between $80,000 to $100,000 with only $4,000 in coverage. This doesn’t even include any of the home modifications that will be needed once we figure out where he will be residing initially. This news really knocked his spirits back down but we keep telling him to focus on rehabbing, getting stronger and getting to Mayo Clinic and that we will figure out the rest. We have been dealing with the challenge to figure out how to cover the costs for the medical transport flight to Mayo clinic which range from $18,000 to $25,000 then we get dealt this news. We know and truly believe that it will all work out and we keep trying to instill that same belief in Mike.
Please consider a donation of any size if you are able to. No donation is too small and your generosity is so sincerely appreciated by Mike and his family. If you are unable to donate and could please just share the link to this fundraising page that would be equally appreciated! Thank you all for your continued support and prayers!
Mike was met with yet another setback on Friday evening. After resuming his acute rehab for less than a week post his emergency gallbladder surgery he had to be rushed back to the hospital on Friday evening. Mike had developed a very serious and potentially deadly infection called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a serious antibiotic resistant infection that usually occurs in people in the hospital and/or with weakened immune systems. They had caught it early and things were seeming to improve until yesterday. Mike’s fever jumped rapidly to 104.5 and they believe that the infection has entered his bloodstream which is very dangerous.
Please keep Mike in your thoughts and prayers at this time as we are praying that the doctors are able to find a mixture of antibiotics that his strand of the infection is not resistant to.
Thank you to everyone who has made a donation & left messages of support for Mike so far! Your support means so much to Mike and our family.
Mike resumed his acute rehabilitation on Monday after recovering from his emergency gallbladder surgery. Although he is still in a lot of pain he is powering through it! This week family training also started, where they teach members of the family how to do therapy and be able to assist Mike once he is able to come home. Therapy goes on all day and Mike is completely wiped out at the end of each day but that is a good sign that he is working hard.
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Mike Jesus Loves You so much and he has a plan for your life
Cheryl WCBC
I am also praying for you, Mike. I have been a member of WCBC for about 20 years. Now I live on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. God bless you & heal you.
Eileen Stone
Praying for you everyday Mike.
Ray and Lily Hoermann
Mike, all of us in our family are praying for you, your Mom and Dad and Sharron and all your family, too. Don't give up. Keep on fighting till you're recovered. Sharon and all the family
Sharon
Mike, we're praying for your strength and determination. Your presence is truly missed.
Carrey & Lisa
Everyone back in good ole STL are praying for you Mike everyday. We luv you and pray for healing. God Bless
Kim Reiniger
Always praying for Mike and the family. Hugs to you all!
Kerri Barth
Praying for you many times a day and for your awesome family. We love you all!!!!
Peg and Charlie Carnes
How great is this! Awesome way to get help. I want you too be determined Mike to live and love and be grateful for ALL the people that love you and want to see you vital again. You can do it. Be strong and find your way. You hear me? XOX
Trisha Pike
Make checks payable to:
Help Hope Live
Note in memo:
In honor of Mike Comia
Mail to:
Help Hope Live
2 Radnor Corporate Center
Suite 100
100 Matsonford Road
Radnor, PA 19087
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