The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Crowdfunding for Millie Day
Family raises money for 81-year-old recovering from Guillain-Barre
PORTLAND — Millie Day is happiest when surrounded by her daughters and grandchildren and can work in her garden.
Recent health complications, however, required the 81-year-old to spend several months at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown and Gaylord Specialty Healthcare in Wallingford. She also spent time recovering at Apple Rehab in Middletown.
To make her transition back home easier as she recovers, Day’s family is raising money through RedBasket.org, a Omaha, Neb., web-based nonprofit organization. Millie’s Road to Independence has a $10,000 goal, which, if met, will allow her loved ones to renovate the home.
The page has raised $125 in donations so far — 10 percent of her goal. Forty days remain to meet that total. Her fundraiser was scheduled to end Sept. 1 so RedBasket.org approved a 45-day extension.
In 2017, RedBasket.org raised approximately $1.2 million for people and organizations in need, according to the company.
In January, Day was admitted to Middlesex Hospital with severe pneumonia. While there, she received a flu shot, which contributed to the development of Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Pronounced “gee-YAH-buh-RAY,” Guillain-Barre is a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves. Weakness and tingling in extremities are often the first symptoms. In its most severe form, Guillain-Barre becomes a medical emergency, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Day became paralyzed from the disease and had to undergo rehabilitation. On Jan. 31, she was released to Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford. There, they removed a tracheal tube, which had been put in place to allow her to eat since she was paralyzed.
She was admitted to Apple Rehab March 8 and went home June 5.
“It has all been very emotional for me,” said Day, a widow. “I’m a very independent person and have always been able to take care of myself.”
Day said she feels she is making progress slowly.
“Because of the paralysis from the flu shot I got when I had pneumonia, I still
have a problem writing. My hands don’t work that well. I’m like a kid who has to learn how to write all over again.”
Therapists from Apple Rehab are helping her with reaching exercises.
“Whenever they come, they have me reaching for cupboards, stretching to make my arms and hands more flexible,” Day said.
Day said she feels safer now since RedBasket sent her a LifeLine medical alert system.
“My daughter Arleen visits me a lot,” she said. “Still, I feel better knowing I can get help now any time of the day.”
Because of the severity of her condition, Day had to use a wheelchair and now a walker. She still finds it difficult to move by herself. Her home is not handicapaccessible, so renovations are needed for her to get
around and regain some of her independence.
Her family hopes she will be able to keep her home, rather than sell it to meet her rising medical expenses. To help with the cost of these renovations to her bathroom and other rooms, her daughters — Arleen Milardo, Sheila Dorgeolh and Donna Duteau — created the online fundraiser through RedBasket.org.
Dorgeolh, a Florida resident, heard about the organization through a friend. Its fee-free fundraising website is sponsored by the WoodmenLife insurance company and helps people raise money for personal emergencies.
“We help the fundraiser set the amount so that it’s a realistic goal,” said RedBasket.org spokeswoman Lauren Fischer. “Because of our nonprofit status, we have to account for where the money is spent. We use the term ‘fundraising’ as our preferred language because there are so many other
crowdfunding websites online.”
RedBasket.org kicks in the first $50. Its team of account managers reviews applications and make sure paperwork is in order. The team is available to answer questions, provide fundraising advice and write fundraising campaigns.
“Simply put, Millie’s situation fit within the RedBasket.org guidelines of needing fundraising assistance,” Fischer said.
“It’s not a matter of helping her over other people. Anyone who has experienced a medical issue or natural disaster, or who wants to improve their community, can apply to fund raise on RedBasket.org.”
Physical therapists visit Day in her Portland home two days a week, and a nurse comes weekly. She can complete simple functions, such as lying on the bed, using her microwave, and walking from wall to wall without her walker while holding onto to her nurse.
Her dog Codie keeps her company.
In a few weeks, insurance will stop paying for her therapy, and she may eventually be forced to sell her home if she can’t meet her medical expenses, Day said.
A Portland High School graduate, Day worked for the telephone company in Middletown and later at a convalescent home.
To learn more or donate to Millie’s fundraiser, visit redbasket.org/1716/milliesroad-to-independence. RedBasket.org also accepts checks mailed to its office at 1700 Farnam St., Omaha, Neb., 68164.
It should be made out to Red Basket, with the project noted in the memo line. Once a fundraiser ends, money is disbursed directly to the individual.
“Since a large portion of donations come from social media, we encourage our fundraisers to share their needs on their social networks,” Fischer said.