David Penosky

January 2023 Update:

Thank you to all who donated, we were able to trade in our vehicle on a wheelchair accessible vehicle for Dave in July 2022, and he has enjoyed being able to go to church again, and to men’s fellowship meetings. Getting to doctor’s appointments is much easier now as well.

He is down to two needs: a roll-in shower, because his condition has gone downhill enough he cannot get his legs over the four inch barrier of our current shower. The cost for this is $11,000 including installation.

Second, the wood ramp out to his art studio has deteriorated with age to the point it is shaky and boards are rotting out. Years ago, it was a walkway to keep him above a small patch of the yard that floods easily. When he got the wheelchair, friends blocked it up into a level walkway and added railings to keep him from falling off the edge as he was losing his ability to walk. It needs to be replaced, and the estimates are about $15,000.

DAVE NEEDS YOUR HELP!

After a medical mystery of symptoms, including losing the ability to walk,Dave was diagnosed with MS in February 2021. We need your help to make life a bit more accessible for Dave. Insurance doesn’t cover everything and we need help.

Let me tell you some of the things that make Dave special, he is a Navy veteran, who served on the ground after the Beirut bombing in 1983; he volunteered with the disaster relief organization Christ in Action (Elkton, VA) including deployments to Kentucky, Texas and New Jersey; he helped build cabins at our church’s Camp Immanuel site, which does summer camp for youth, and during the winter the cabins are used for Room at the Inn, which provides shelter and meals to homeless people; he volunteered with the Manteo Maritime Museum; he is a past Board President of the Outer Banks SPCA, where he worked with shelter staff on upgrades to the facility and programs to increase the adoption rate; Dave is also an accomplished wood artist, whose work is on display at Seaside Art Gallery in Nags Head, NC (www.seasideart.com).

I’m sure you see a recurring theme in Dave’s life… he is a man who is always giving. Even now, while struggling with MS, he still wants to get back out in the community and continue his volunteer work. Now this man who shares so much of himself with others needs your help. Please consider making a donation that will help Dave with his medically related expenses.

Donations are intended for these projects: 1. wheelchair van so he can get PT and get out more and socialize with friends, 2. zero barrier shower, 3. wider closet doorway so he can pick his clothes himself again, 4. straighten the walkway to his studio, so he can go out to his studio easier.

We are are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live in honor of Dave to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with Catastrophic Illness.

We chose to fundraise 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. And please share Dave’s page on your social media. Ask me How!!!!

For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.

Thank you for your support!