Renée Hoyt became quadriplegic after an accident in Dec. 2023. She had an incomplete spinal cord injury followed by emergency surgery and 5 weeks of intensive inpatient rehab, after which she was still unable to use her hands, arms and legs, but the hope was that with continued outpatient rehab she would have a chance of at least partial return to function. Her husband, Mike, became her 24-hour care provider, feeding her every meal, moving her so she wouldn’t get bed sores, dressing, cleaning, and caring for every need, while, of course, also parenting their now 15 year old son, Miles, who is legally blind due to Stargardts, a genetic vision disorder.
Initially, Renée could not even scratch an itch or get her hair out of her eyes, she had to rely on others for basic things we take for granted. Expenses were incredible. So many things were not covered by insurance, including transportation necessary to get Renée to Physical and Occupational Therapy. However, with hard work and lots of support from family and friends, Renée has made tremendous progress! While still considered quadriplegic, she can now feed herself with adaptive utensils (although Mike still has to cut her food into bite sized pieces) and has started to walk using a walker!
The work is exhausting and progress is slow, but there is progress! As Renée builds her muscles and re-learns to do things that used to be automatic, she still has a long way to go and the family continues to have extreme medical bills in addition to the loss of their major sources of income. Renée has not been able to return to her job yet and, given the level of care still needed, Mike has not been able to return to work outside the home, thus their need for financial support is great.
It is hard for the Hoyt’s to ask for support. Indeed, in the past they set up fundraisers for Foundation Fighting Blindness and are still active in educating and helping others with their inspirational stories about living with Stargardts, Miles’ vision disorder. But they do need our help with non-covered medical expenses, co-pays, nurses-aide support, and accessibility accommodations. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to help Renée as she continues this journey and stay tuned for fun fundraising activities!
Note: Donations made in honor of a specific individual, or in response to campaign solicitations, are restricted by region only and do not obligate Help Hope Live to allocate funds towards a specific individual, as the IRS would deem such donations to be private gifts, which are not tax deductible. Clients receive support according to their medical and financial need. Help Hope Live is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Information: 800.642.8399.
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