No results found. Please try modifying your search.
Family and friends of Michael “Mike” Bechaver are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund expenses associated with Catastrophic Injury.
Mike has always been the guy who would give you the shirt off his back but now he needs some help to get his quality of life back. Mike was a truck driver on a mission to lose weight and get healthy after getting to over 450lbs. He had weight loss surgery in 2017 and was on a good road to his goal of 200lbs. when he was out walking his daily 8 miles and was hit by a pick up truck while in a cross walk.
The accident broke his back and tailbone; which caused him to have multiple surgeries and chronic pain. This eventually led to him losing both legs above the knee at 43 years old. Learning to live his life with a double amputation hasn’t been easy but he will not let that stop him.
While he was in the hospital recovering from one of the surgeries; that took his left leg; when he was given the news that his wife of 15 years had passed away in a different hospital from pneumonia. Even with so much loss in his life he refused to give up .
Mike has struggled to be self sufficient again and is ready to get back to a semi normal life which means doing his favorite hobbies like hunting, fishing, and camping. Because of the amputations his career is over as a class A driver which he loved so he began searching for other things to enjoy and fill his daily life inside his home. He recently received a power chair which is letting him become more mobile but he has run into a snag. The chair is too heavy, by 48 lbs., to install a lift in his vehicle so he can’t go very far from home with the new chair. This makes going to the doctor or anywhere else a challenge.
Mike has a drive to keep working on his weight loss journey (before his accident he had lost over 200lbs. but has still about 100left to lose). He is also committed to helping his fiance work on her journey as well by going out and joining her and her children on “walks” around town. But he really wants to be able to take them places and do things he loves again away from home. He does get himself around in a manual chair and drives his car with the help of hand controls but a manual chair it is very difficult for him to go long distances or up hills so this power chair has been a huge blessing. Now he needs to raise funding for a down payment on an accessible vehicle that will allow his power chair to go with him when he goes out.
He has a strong desire to meet his weight loss goal from before his amputation and hopes to walk again with prosthetic legs one day. This man will not let all of the challenges he has faced in the last 3 years stop him from reaching his goals to get him his freedom back. If you have the ability to help please donate to his campaign and help this incredible man have the life he dreams of.
Michael has chosen to fundraiser for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.
For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.
Thank you for your support!
Updates (19)
May 4, 2022
Mike has been home and trying to heal but infection is still raging in his body and the doctors don't seem to know how to fix him. We are all highly concerned that this infection is going to get into his pelvis or internal organs and begin causing even more havoc. He was also recently diagnosed with kidney stones as well as a torn rotator cuff so Mikes pain levels are off the charts right now. He is doing all he can to get past this and get back to life as he knows it. This mess has taken such a huge toll on him both mentally and physically but he wont give up. Mike is in need now more than ever of a mobility vehicle he has expressed such gratitude to all who have donated to his cause and from the cash donations he has received in our local community we have finished paying for the home remodeling that was done while he was in the hospital to widen the bathroom but he still needs an accessible shower. Mikes family is exhausted as is he from the last six months of trying to get him healed from what was supposed to be a simple amputation revision. We all want to say thank you to everyone who has taken their time to care about Mike and his situation.
March 23, 2022
March 7, 2022
Home feels great! Thank you ALL for all of your prayers and support these last 2 months.
.
Mike has been settling back into home life enjoying every minute of it; after 72 Days in the hospital its nice for the whole family to get back to normal.
.
We were all a little scared of what life would be like for Mike after the hip dis articulation and we worried that it would make life a lot harder as the doctors were telling us but that isn't the case. Mike seems to have nearly the same abilities as before and a bonus being in the hospital he lost quite a bit of weight. So as he regains more strength and gets stronger we will be posting weekly updates for now showing what life is like without his legs.
.While Mike was gone we had some modifications done in the house to make life easier for him such as these handles and bar above the bed. As you can see this makes transferring from his chair way easier and safer as well as making it a lot easier to get comfortable in his bed. There is still a lot of work to do such as building a roll in shower but that takes funding which we are all working hard to raise.
.
Thank you all so much and please share share share!
This is one of the hardest things mike has dealt with to date and none of us know what is gonna happen next. Mike says this is not the end of his story and that he is NOT coming home to just die but it sure doesn't seem promising at this point. We are modifying our home as much as we can to make it easiest for Mike but the need for funding is great. The bathroom needs to be widened and a shower put in instead of a tub for access with a caregiver. We also need a ramp that is regulation length for him to get in and out of the house. As well as the huge need for a mobility vehicle that handles his powerchair. We are planning to do all we can to get Mike past this and make sure this isnt the end of his story but we really could use help to make his quality of life the best we can for what ever time he has. We hope that time is many many more years.
January 2, 2022
Mike has been in the hospital fighting for his life with an infection that doctors can't seem to figure out. He has had so many hospital stays in the last 4 years to have surgery to amputate his legs in pieces due to infection after he was hit by a car in 2018 and developed the first infection from a series of 5 back surgeries. Mikes Wife has been asking the public for words of encouragement during this difficult time and the people have answered with such awesome kindness and love. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022 is a year for miracles!
Mike is still facing the possibility of losing his left leg at the hip if the antibiotics don't work by Tuesday January 4 2022. All the positive energy sent his way is always appreciated.
Mike is also so grateful for those who have found his HelpHopeLive campaign his home is in need of some modifications including a ramp out the front door for fire safety as well as widening the bathroom so his chair can fit and turn around and for better access to the shower for him. He is still in need of a mobility vehicle but these other things take higher priority.
December 30, 2021
Mike has had so much love thank you to everyone. We will continue to update
Mike is overwhelmed with emotion from all of the support people are showing and all of the love he is receiving. He had no idea his wife was making this happen for him
It is Christmas time and Mike is in the hospital yet again. He has a bad infection in his left stump, he has never healed since the surgeries he had in late October and early November. His spirits are down but hopefully things will get better from here. He went to a different hospital and is seeing all new doctors who are documenting all the mess that has been made of him and working to fix him correctly. Mike has just had one hardship after another with his health since his accident and his positive attitude is starting to be strained. He has hopes of having a normal life again with the assistance of his wheelchair and his family but he has to get past this healing process before he can get his life back on track and do the things he loves to do again.
November 7, 2021
Mike went in again for surgery on October 25, 2021 and has been in there 2 weeks now. He had to have a second surgery to repair his stumps after a week because the pressure inside built up and busted his stitches. He was put on a wound vac and the doctors were monitoring closely and yesterday he was told he has to have surgery again to relieve the pressure inside so it doesn't bust open again. He is lonely and bored sitting in the hospital this long knowing that there is at least another week ahead of him before he knows if he will be going home or into skilled nursing facility again to heal. Hopefully this will be the last surgery for quite some time but the doctors say the bone spurs will continue to grow and he will occasionally have to have surgery to have them removed for the rest of his life. The challenges he faces daily are nothing compared to sitting in a hospital wondering when they will get things under control and let him go home. He is fighting a battle with depression that takes a huge toll on him and his healing. Thank you to everyone who has helped out and who sends their well wishes and love . Mike never gives up and this is just another stumbling block in his journey.
September 24, 2021
Its been a little over a year since Mike's last revision on his legs and he was just informed again by his doctor that he needs to have surgery. This doctor said if he ever wants the possibility of prosthetics one day, then they have to go in and take another inch off each femur and clean up the bone growth. Apparently the human body has this awesome ability to heal its self and his bones are growing in his femurs trying to "heal" themselves. This is causing very sharp bone edges that are cutting into his muscles and causing terrible pain. The surgeon is talking about doing them both at the same time which is in its own way good and bad. That is a lot of work and a lot of pain for Mike to endure but he has a great attitude and is ready to have them shave down these bones and lessen his daily pain levels. Everything is about quality of life now and Mike and his family are ready for this next step in that direction.
September 20, 2021
After the car buying fiasco Mike was very shook up and upset but was unable to get the dealership to do right by him. So instead he and his family have decided to make the best of it and got the vehicle fixed up and began taking day trips. When you look for the silver linings you will find them, so Mike is doing well and is enjoying life with his family and not focusing on the negative experiences. Life has dealt him many blows but nothing is stopping him from being happy and moving forward and doing great things in life.
June 21, 2021
Unfortunately Mike got scammed by a highly unethical car dealer who sent out a add with a promotion thing on it saying Mike won $25,000 off a new vehicle or $25,000. Mike called and asked them what this was about and thy enthusiastically told him he won and to come on Monday to claim his prize. Upon arriving in Trinidad where the event was taking place for Father's day week he was asked for some information and what kind of vehicle he was looking for. Mike made it clear he needs an accessible vehicle and was planning to use the prize money towards an accessible vehicle. They spent hours talking to him about which car he wanted and they showed him a few even trying to convince him to buy a vehicle that was not accessible at all for a wheelchair user. They told him he only won a pair of earbuds and could spin the wheel to win the money which he didn't. This is when he got talked into buying this broken vehicle. Now he is working to give them back a van that is broken that they got $4000 down payment from mike for and when he tried to give it back on day 3 of having it after it over heated and leaked transmission fluid all over the driveway. Nissan Of Durango, Colorado laughed in Mike's face when he asked for his money back and has said all he can do is give it up as a voluntary repo. He asked if they can just keep the $4000 as a rental fee because we had it for 3 days they laughed and he sat in the heat all Friday trying to get this fixed. They pressured him to buy something his wife said no to because it was not the accessibly vehicle he needs. They convinced him he can have it modified for the money they took off the down payment they wanted. They said for sure this vehicle would be able to be modified for just a few thousands dollars and this is not the case. Due to the weight of his power chair we were told it will cost us nearly $15,000 to have it modified. Now Mike is out $4000 on this bad deal and is stuck with a car payment of $600 a month which he cant afford because the dealer got his mom to cosign and used her income figures as a way to calculate payment. They are charging him $36,000 for a minivan that is valued at maybe $20,000 without the mechanical issues it has. They also tried to scam his wife into trading her car into them for a downgraded vehicle with mechanical issues as well. She luckily said no and didn't get sucked into their lies. The sales people who dealt with them both made comments to her about getting people on their death beds to cosign for loans and other highly unethical business practices and she walked out at that point. Mike is a sweet guy who has a hard time saying no and when someone scams him into something its really a huge determinant to his well being. He had saved the cash he put down on this vehicle for many months this was part of what was supposed to get him an accessible vehicle and now he is stuck dealing with how to get rid of a car he cant afford that he cant keep because it will cause issues with his benefits because it costs so much and a vehicle that is broken and is unusable. His spirit is broken at this point and he is struggling with depression because this has caused a huge rift between him and his family. Please pray that this gets fixed and that he can move forward in his quest to get the accessible vehicle he has desperately been in need of.
April 9, 2021
Mike is doing great since getting home from the nursing facility, the infection is gone and he is feeling good. He is working on some new projects and looking forward to getting outside more with the spring weather. Mikes family has set up a weekly flea market fund raiser to add to his campaign and Mike will be out helping them every Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer.
Mike has also gotten news that his health has improved to the point that he is no longer considered diabetic. He is steadily losing weight and getting stronger every day. Mike appreciates everyone who is following his journey, thank you!
January 26, 2021
Mike is currently fighting a very sever infection in his finger. He had surgery just before Christmas to fix the tendon that was keeping it from healing from his fall back in July 2019. It was cleaned out from the infection and a pin was placed a week ago and since then he has had to have it cleaned out again twice because it has been diagnosed as sepsis. That means he keeps having the wound opened up and it is causing him a lot of pain. Mike is battling hard getting daily IV antibiotics and has been in the hospital away from his family for over a week now. He is facing the possibility of losing his left hand if this infection can't be conquered. The loss of a hand having already lost both of his legs would be a devastating blow but he says he won't give up no matter what life throws at him. He is in need of a vehicle that can transport his electric chair now more than ever because with one hand he cannot operate his manual wheelchair until this hand is healed.
The doctors are planning to observe him another few days in the hospital and then he will be spending another full month in a skilled nursing facility where he can get the antibiotics via IV to beat this infection. It is not easy to be away from his family this long and he is looking forward to getting better and getting home to them.
October 25, 2020
Mike's family moved in with his parents on September 12th to help with his father's failing health, and on September 17th his father passed away. His family is helping his mother to continue living independently and Mike is enjoying the time he gets to spend with her since his father's passing. He is the primary driver to assist her to get to doctor appointments and run errands so his need for a wheelchair accessible van has become more imperative. He would like to be able to go out in his power wheelchair but he cannot take it in the vehicle he currently has. In order to transport his power chair someone who can lift a 40 lb ramp and strap down his chair in the trailer is required so he uses his manual wheelchair and does his best to get in and out of the car safely. Often he has fallen trying to get into the car or he gets stuck under the steering wheel and has to crawl up on the drivers seat to get in the car. Back in July Mike fell out of his manual chair on the ramp outside his home and broke his left pinky and ring fingers which has made it very difficult to get around in the manual chair. He is facing the possibility of losing his ring finger on the left hand now due to the break being unable to heal. A different vehicle that allows his power chair to drive right into the drivers seat would make his quality of life improve a lot so that he doesn't have to continue to damage his hand and could allow it to heal.
Mike is very grateful to everyone who has already donated to his campaign and is working to raise funding as soon as possible to make his dreams of complete independence come true. Mike's fiance Alison is an artist and is donating all profits from her work to his campaign. Currently she is selling her art photography in the form of post cards, coffee mugs, t-shirts, and note cards as "Art for Mike"; at www.etsy.com
August 30, 2020
Mike's surgery went great and he is recovering well. They found a bone spur that was causing him pain and damaging the muscles in his leg so with that removed he should heal and have a lot less daily pain.
He is struggling to get around without a accessible vehicle since surgery and has had two instances where he almost fell to the ground trying to get into the car from his chair. His life would be so much brighter and safer if he just had a vehicle that was accessible for him.
August 15, 2020
On August 13, 2020 Mike and his family were given notice to vacate their home (he has lived in for 7 years) by September 15, 2020. This was a huge shock and he wanted to cancel his much needed surgery, but his fiance convinced him not to let this challenge keep him from having it done. So amidst working to get him healed the family will be searching for a new home and working on packing. Their lives are being turned upside down by this when they were being told they were going to receive a rent to own contract to buy the home. With both adults in the family being disabled they are not allowing this to let them get down about their situation. They are planning to spend the next few weeks taking care of what Mike may need while packing up and holding yard sales to raise money to have a deposit on a new home.
July 28, 2020
Mike will be having another surgery on his right femur to make both stumps the same length and to remove bone fragments that broke off during a fall he took a few months ago falling out of his manual chair trying to leave the house for a doctor appointment. That fall also broke two of the fingers on his left hand making the manual chair even harder for him to use when out of the house. Its hoped that this surgery will be the last for a long time and that he can continue to heal and get himself stronger. He is hoping that 2020 is the last year he has to spend in bed recovering from this accident. Once he is all healed (and life gets back to normal) he hopes to get the ability to travel again and maybe one day make it to a Kansas City Chief's game since he is a huge fan. He knows that he still has a long road to travel before he can reach his goals for his own health but he is determined to make every day better than the last.
Donation made in loving memory of David R. Caristi
Sexystrong Foundation
December 27, 2021
Michael, I'm so sorry this happened to you - You can be proud of yourself by taking such positive steps towards your health. I can't imagine the difficult journey this has been for you and your family. Many blessings and prayers for you in your recovery.
Anonymous
December 22, 2021
Get well soon - praying all goes good and you get home soon
Gary
May 8, 2021
Donations are coming in from our fundraiser and we would like to thank everyone who is supporting this cause! Thank you all!
Anonymous
January 26, 2021
Wishing you Healing and a Speedy Recovery.
Leslie and Kennard
Leslie Bak-Pfalmer
January 15, 2021
Hi Michael, I learned about your multiple challenges and fundraising campaign from your friends at Iconic Dental. I admire your strength and determination to regain your independence. I've made a donation and want to wish you success in achieving your goals.
Best Wishes,
CM
Anonymous
December 6, 2020
I hope Mike can get his chair asap. Alison, I loved meeting you & spending time with you even though it was brief. Next time we'll have to actually meet Mike & do a day of it. Prayers to you & Mike.
Ken, Gen, Anne, Kalee, Mescha Whitt
August 8, 2020
Mike ,
We pray that you Stay strong, and positive
We will always be here for you . We love you!
Michael / Jennifer Ortibez
Mail a Check
Make checks payable to:
Help Hope Live
Note in memo:
In honor of Michael Bechaver
Mail to:
Help Hope Live
2 Radnor Corporate Center
Suite 100
100 Matsonford Road
Radnor, PA 19087
