Dear friends,
I am organizing this campaign so that all of the wonderful friends and community members who have expressed interest in assisting the Budmans can help with what they truly need at this time.
As many of you are aware Chris has been living with Crohn’s Disease for the past 20 years. Through a combination of surgeries, medicine and the love and support of family and friends, Chris has been able to keep the disease in check for the better part of 15 years. Over the past year, the balance has shifted. Chris’ health has taken a turn for the worse and become unmanageable. He is now receiving medical care in New York at NYU's Langone Hospital. (**For more background, see the end of this post.)
Though the plans are still evolving, the Budmans anticipate that Chris will undergo 3 surgeries in NYC over the next 9 months. The travel, NY hotel and food when they go for appointments, and other expenses are already adding up quickly for our friends. These added expenses are combined with extensive time out of work for Chris over the past year and the 9 months to come.
Ultimately, this means that what they can use right now, in addition to our prayers, is some financial assistance. Spotfund required a goal amount--I have no doubt their expenses and lost wages will end up exceeding this amount. If, on the other side of all of this, there are additional funds remaining, the Budmans will pay those forward to a medical assistance charity.
You can visit https://chrisbudmanhealth.blogspot.com for periodic updates on Chris' road to wellness and to share messages with them.
Please feel free to share this link. If you have questions on the campaign, please reach out to Roxanne Dixon or Tammy DeSanto. Thanks for your interest in helping this amazing family who brings so much light and good into our community.
**Background: Chris has shared that in 2008, he had his entire colon removed and a new one constructed from a section of his small intestine-- a procedure called a J-Pouch surgery. In April of 2022, Chris was hospitalized with a partial bowel obstruction. Testing revealed that his J-Pouch needs to be replaced. The complexity of the required surgery is beyond what Chris’ local surgeon would undertake; nor could he confidently recommend anyone locally. It was determined that the best way forward was to see Dr. Feza Remzi at NYU’s Langone Hospital. Upon Dr. Remzi’s examination of Chris’ existing J-Pouch in October of 2023, complications arose and Chris was hospitalized again. This examination showed his current J-Pouch was not repairable and had reached the point of failure. After spending several days in the hospital in NY, Chris returned home. Unfortunately, Chris needed to return again to the hospital on Nov. 3, and was flown from PA to Langone Hospital to access the level of care he needs. The next surgery is scheduled for Nov. 8.
