About Me
PLEASE MAKE A DONATION TODAY! A PAYPAL BUTTON CAN BE FOUND ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THIS SITE! ANY DONATION AMOUNT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!
Lending a Helping Hand for an Amputee in Need
WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THE BENEFIT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS! THANK YOU TO ALL THE GREAT ARTISTS AND WONDERFUL SUPPORTERS OF MY PARTY!!! I AM HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT I AM NOW IN MY NEW LEG AS OF MARCH 9TH!!! I STILL HAVE SOME COSTS BUT THANKS TO YOU ALL I AM COVERED. I STILL HAVE THE PAYPAL BUTTON UP TO RAISE MONEY FOR OTHERS IN NEED.
Joy Bastow is a single mother of a beautiful 4-year-old and a fulltime employee trying her best to provide for her daughter and herself. She spent 20 years trying to save her foot from being amputated; however, the end result was amputation on Feb 9, 2007. Amputation wasn't an easy choice for her; however, she was at rock bottom, living with massive pain and battling a STAPH infection from a previous surgery.
www.geocities.com/mslunaiti/ReconstructedHeel
When checking with her insurance, her prosthetic company was told that yes a prosthetic would be covered and they needed to be approved before paying. She took the necessary actions to get them approved just to find out recently that her coverage only allows payment up to $1,000.00, which is chump change when you're talking prosthetics(a common problem for amputees and disabled people). She also found out that prosthetic coverage is combined in the same code as any orthotic device(i.e. crutches, wheelchairs, etc.). She had already used up a little over $300.00 of the coverage during her recovery process. Joy's current debt is $10,000.00 and though she works hard, that amount is not something she can afford. Thankfully, the prosthetic company is giving her the time to raise the money and promised her they would not take her foot away from her.
She began to research online to see if she qualified for any foundations or qualified for any state programs. Well, it turns out that there are only two foundations that assist amputees with purchases; however, they have strict guidelines (many don't qualify), and they only allow up to $1,500.00 per each person who qualifies. She also found out there is only Medicare & a Texas State program DARS. She does not qualify for Medicare, and she is in process with DARS. However, they do NOT help with a debt occurred, only with what is needed now.
Amputees go through 2-4 prosthetic sockets in their first couple of years. The socket is the most important and most expensive portion of the prosthetic. The socket is the part that is custom made to the person's limb. After a short period of time following the amputation, the limb begins to atrophy, as the muscle can not be used. The socket must remain custom fitted to the size of the limb thus causing several new fittings. Lack of socket comfort is probably the most common reason for rejection of a prosthesis (causing amputee not to wear the prosthetic).
Joy is currently on her 2nd socket, and her leg has atrophied so much that she is 3/4 of the size of the socket, causing pain when walking, discomfort, knee problems, and limping. She is in process with DARS to see if they will cover the expense of her 3rd fitting; however, if they do not approve Joy for assistance then she will be left to cover the expense.
Joy is an individual who works hard in life, contributes to society, pays her dues, and is well-respected in the community. She has inspired and WOW'ed those around her with her drive to live and her positive outlook even during the most difficult and challenging times. She continues to support and help others in need and usually puts those individuals before her own problems. It is our time to inspire her with our generosity and support.
"I want to thank all of you for supporting me and supporting my mission to raise awareness in hopes that more people like me will be given the opportunity to live our lives at the fullest. Words can't express how much this means to me and my family. There are more than 400,000 people who are amputated with 130,000+ people being amputated each year with the number rising! Let's Take a Stand Together...all additional proceeds raised will go towards making assistance available for others in need.
- Joy Bastow"
