On June 26, 2007 my Dad, Rich Schiavone, was in a near fatal motorcycle accident at 46 th & Wadsworth. He was driving north on Wads and was hit by a southbound driver as she made left hand turn - she did not see Dad. At St. Anthony's Central it was determined that Dad had shattered every bone in his face on impact and had severe bruising on the right frontal lobe of his brain. Thankfully, there were no other major injuries to the rest of his body. Dad is in a long term acute care hospital today where he continues on the road to recovery. We realize a little more each day how long this process is going to take - they say brain injury patients take at least a year before they reach maximum potential. In the meantime the bills for Dad and Mom continue to increase. Some dear friends have organized a fundraiser on their behalf:
When: Saturday, October 6, 2007 from 1:00-9:00
Where: The Kicker's Club, 16776 West 50 th Ave., Golden, CO
Directions: Take I-70 to Hwy 58. Go west on Hwy 58 to the McIntyre St exit. Go North on McIntyre to 50th Ave. Go West on 50th Ave.
Food: There will be a lot of wonderful food and a cash bar
Entertainment: Dancing and a silent auction - a fun time will be had by all!
Cost: $20 per person, $10 for children 5-15, children under 5 are free!
More Information: Laura Uribe
laura@creative-canopy.com (head of the fundraiser) or myself, Keek Hill, at
keek_hill@msn.com
Visit Dad's Website:
www.carepages.com page name: RichsUpdates
Donation Information: Please address checks to "The Schiavone Family Trust" care of
The Denver Fire Dept Federal Credit Union
2201 Federal Blvd.
Denver, CO 80211
303-228-5300
My Dad, Rich Schiavone, retired 3 years ago from the Denver Fire Department as a Captain. He spent most of his time with the department at Station 1 on the Rescue Squad, Haz Mat and the Dive and Rescue team. When DIA opened he made a transfer to help get it up and running and remained there until his retirement. Dad is an active member of the community volunteering at Lutheran Hospital, and has served on the committee for Hot Times Kool Cars (which raises money for Children's Hospital Burn Center). Dad is also very involved at Christ Community Covenant Church, where he serves in a leadership capacity, and helped with Vacation Bible School this summer. He is an avid golfer, skier and fisherman. He also enjoys restoring classic cars (his current project is a '57 Chevy), and traveling. He is a devoted husband to Berni Schiavone, a caring father of two children and grandfather to three beautiful little ones!
Dad has had 3 surgeries to date, the most extensive one lasting 15 hours to repair the injuries to his face, brain and skull. Literally every bone in his face had been broken in more than one place with the exception of his lower jawbone. Both the neurosurgeon and plastic surgeon said that Dad's case was the worst they had ever seen, and they are veterans in their respective fields! The day after surgery, Dad went into multi-organ failure, a condition that most people aren't able to come out of. We were told that he only had a 15% chance of surviving, but Dad had many people praying for him and by the grace of God he made a turn for the better and spent the next three weeks getting stronger and more stable in the ICU.
Once his condition became stable, Dad moved to Kindred Hospital where he is today. He immediately began physical, speech and occupational therapy and he has made tremendous progress! He is slowly waking up from the coma he was in. He is off the ventilator and breathing on his own. Although he still has a tracheotomy, it is capped during the day and he is able to talk to us a little bit. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to hear his voice! He has also begun to eat pureed foods. Dad just celebrated his 61 st birthday last weekend and we were able to enjoy a bit of cake and ice cream together on the big day. We are thrilled with how far he has come since the accident! At the same time, he has such a long way to go. He cannot move much on his own and is unable to support his own weight at all, even while propped in a sitting position. He has trouble remembering people and events on a consistent basis. Unfortunately, the impact of the accident has caused him to lose his sight (we aren't yet sure if this is a permanent condition).
Where do we go from here? Dad still has months and months of recovery left. When Dad is more conscious and able to sustain three hours of rehab a day he will be transferred to a rehab facility. His brain is "rewiring", which means it's learning to compensate for the damage done at the time of the accident. Physically he will need to learn to walk and build up muscle mass that he's lost, as well as relearn simple tasks like feeding himself, drinking from a cup and how to comb his hair, etc. He will also need skin grafts to close two incisions on his left calf that were made to lessen the pressure caused by blood clots.
It has been a long and difficult time for all of us, but especially for my Mom. She and Dad will celebrate their 40 th wedding anniversary in October. What an example of "for better or for worse" Mom has been to my brother and I and our families! We are all anxious for Dad to get well and be home with Mom where he belongs once again. We know there is quite a ways to go on the road to recovery, but with the overwhelming amount of support we've received from family and friends, Dad is going to make it!
Every penny from the fundraiser will go directly to aid in Dad's recovery! In the first 5 weeks at St. Anthony's his bill was well over $1,000,000. Kaiser will pay the majority of this and the other driver's insurance will pay a portion, but the bills continue to accrue as time goes on and the amount that Dad and Mom are required to pay at the end is not going to be small. In addition, we've spoken with others who have suffered brain injuries or have loved ones with brain injuries and we've learned that there are lifestyle changes that will likely need to take place when Dad comes home. For example, he may need to have home health care for a time. Changes may need to be done to the house, or Dad and Mom may need to move into a house that will accommodate his needs. He may need a special vehicle. If things don't go as well as we hope with his eyes, he may need a seeing-eye dog and other adjustments around the house.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story! We have been overwhelmed by the amount of care and support we've received from family and friends. Coupled with our faith in God it has given us the strength we need to help Dad get through this!
Sincerely,
Berni Schiavone, Mark & Michelle Schiavone & family, Bryan & Keek Hill & family
If you would like to donate to the silent auction or get a copy of the fundraiser flier to post, please email Laura Uribe at
laura@creative-canopy.com