It will be three years this coming February that I came before you when I wrote Being Poor and Dying is for Real requesting that this community give me advise that I wanted to pass on the my sister in Texas. As you may know I make my home in Milwuakee. WI.
At that time Tony, son of my sister was in great danger of dying due to brain surgery, results of a traumatic head injury. Absence of insurance for the cost of hospital surgery, followed by the relentless pressure from Casa Rio Healthcare for payments when Tony was transfered there, otherwise my sister was threatened with kicking Tony to the curb. That incident created total chaos in my sister`s mind as she scrambled from that day on. Looking at her son laying in near death transformed her into a nervous wreck and she turned to me, her everlasting mentor for advise.
And that is why I wrote the request in that diary to you, who I see as my mentors.
The response by you was overwhelming to me and my sister. Even those who read my plea but offered no advise I want to add to this thank you and appreciation notice. The warm words of wisdom and caring offered for my sister and me still feel so close to my heart. You know who you are that I refer to in this diary.
My deepest concern then was that a large chunk of skull was removed from his head at the point of injury leaving the brain defenseless and exposed to the elements of the squalid surrounding of that nursery home. It was left unattended and sidestepped questions that my sister wanted answered relevant to the ghastly exposed human brain. It was at this point in mid-May 2013 that my sister for the first time told me that if Tony was destined to die, she would see that he died at home with dignity and not like the subhuman piece of flesh as Casa Rio was apparently subjecting him to.
I would never argue with my sister trying to dissuade her from taking this course of action because I knew first of all that she was overly hysterical. I did not blame her but I knew that her home is not made to handle Tony`s medical needs. Since he entered Casa Rio Tony had been connected to respirator machines that helped him breathe. And that is only one factor that I considered to her intention of bringing Tony home. I am quite familiar with my sister`s home and know that it was not suited to accomadate such a delicate situation as Tony`s.
You told me that procedure was to protect the brain by giving it space to heal from the swelling that ensued pursuant to the cracked skull and that made sense to me. His brain would remain exposed for the approximate three years he laid comatose at Casa Rio and the missing piece of skill removed would never be reattached. What I am writing today is simply a history of the pain and misery that my sister was subjected to in this tragic story.
What I have gathered ever since is that my nephew Tony despite his grave condition was unfortunate enough to have been sent to Casa Rio Healthcare and Rehabilitaion Center where he lingered in camotose stage for so long while the nursing home was in a state of disarray to the point that it would later be found that seven patients had been found dead as a result of neglect. More on this below.
It goes against reasonable logic to try to name so many wonderful and good kossacks that I feel so blessed to have known that exist here on Daily Kos who so kindly and unselfish came forward putting aside whatever important issues in their hands to offer support.