Online Marketing Coach and Forward Church in Cleveland Support New Ohio Family, Including Man Who Faced Triple Organ Transplant Surgery
Bernie Prescott of Forward Church finds hope in faith, family and friends after surviving a major organ transplant at the Cleveland Clinic (an Online Marketing Coach video captures the ordeal).
Cleveland, OH, November 09, 2014 --(PR.com)-- The Prescott family, besieged by severe health and financial burdens, have found hope and support through Forward Church, Online Marketing Coach other new-found friends after moving to Cleveland, Ohio so Bernie Prescott could have a life-saving triple organ transplant surgery.
Donate and watch the video that Online Marketing Coach produced as a courtesy for the family:
http://www.gofundme.com/prescott
Bernie, his wife, Laurie and his mother, Willie, came to Cleveland without knowing one person. They left nearly all of their possessions behind in Silver Springs, Florida.
Although health and money issues continue, they did find hope after meeting one of their first contacts in Cleveland.
They met Lauren Bodziony, a nurse who checked on Bernie after a round of pre-transplant tests at the Cleveland Clinic in late 2012. Lauren eventually invited them to Forward Church in Slavic Village, one of Cleveland’s poorest neighborhoods.
Her husband, Jeff Bodziony, is the lead catalyst of Forward Church.
Despite its barebones budget, Forward Church was able to help the Prescotts in small ways (some food and transportation). But Forward Church also tapped into its volunteer base and other connections to rally behind the Prescotts.
Church members and others who heard about their ordeal have offered money, food and occasional assistance with transportation.
Through private donations, volunteers and a magic show fundraiser, the Prescotts got all their belongings from Florida. Online Marketing Coach President Mike Murray organized the events and the campaign to cover their personal items.
To make that possible, Jeff and Mike flew to Orlando, Florida to take everything out of a storage unit and load their clothes, furniture, pictures and more into a 16-foot moving truck. Mike reached out to a large Orlando church, which supplied three volunteers. Jeff and Mike drove over 1,000 miles back to Cleveland, where more volunteers unloaded the truck.
"God gets the credit for the help everyone provided to Bernie and his family,” Jeff says. “At the end of the day, we don't impact a community by waving hands once a week at our services; we impact our residents best by being at their service all week long. If we do not help our residents tangibly move forward in every domain of life, we simply don't live up to our name – either word of it."
At one point, Bernie had three dysfunctional organs – a stomach, pancreas and small intestine. By June 22, 2012, doctors removed Bernie’s small intestine, which meant he had to rely on Intravenous Infusions 16 hours a day to stay alive. He became a transplant candidate and a Cleveland Clinic doctor and his team gave him a donor’s small intestine November 15, 2013. At the same time, they added a device to help the stomach discharge (doctors had already healed his pancreas enough with medicine).
Their saga began in 1999. His illness became apparent when Bernie and his family lived in Buxton, Maine. By 2004, his health had deteriorated so much that he couldn’t even work because of constant admissions to the hospital (32 in one year). Doctors weren’t able to fully identify the cause of the failing organs. They did come up with one diagnosis: cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS). Friends and family suggested that they try a new climate and live near relatives in Florida.
Laurie cares for Bernie as well as Willie who suffers from Alzheimer’s, degenerative disc disorder, diabetes, neuropathy, COPD, spinal stenosis, hearing loss and other ailments. Willie has lost other friends and several family members to accidents and terminal illnesses. Willie was terrified that Bernie would die too.
Recently, Laurie got a part-time job at a Burger King and served on a mission trip to Staten Island, NY to help families still recovering from Hurricane Sandy. She joined Forward Church volunteers and members of Cuyahoga Valley Church in Broadview Heights, Ohio.
But the family continues to struggle to pay for housing, food, clothes, prescriptions, transportation and other expenses.
What does the future hold?
Bernie: "Continuing with God’s plan whatever that may be. There is a reason God gave me a second chance. He knows what He needs and wants me to do, and will reveal it over time. My job is to get closer to Him and love Him unconditionally."
Willie: "Hopefully with God’s help, I can participate more with watching the children during service at the Forward Church. I am thankful for my son’s extended life. I don’t know what I would do losing him too. No mother should watch their children die before them."
Laurie: "My future plan is to be able to provide for my family with God’s help. My Faith grows stronger, and stronger each day. My Lord will not fail me. I am waiting for the day that I can pay it forward, and minister God’s word to others. Everyone’s journey is different. I don‘t know what the Lord has in store for me, but I know with Jesus as my GPS, my final destination will be home, to my Father God."
Donate and watch the video that Online Marketing Coach produced as a courtesy for the family:
http://www.gofundme.com/prescott
Bernie, his wife, Laurie and his mother, Willie, came to Cleveland without knowing one person. They left nearly all of their possessions behind in Silver Springs, Florida.
Although health and money issues continue, they did find hope after meeting one of their first contacts in Cleveland.
They met Lauren Bodziony, a nurse who checked on Bernie after a round of pre-transplant tests at the Cleveland Clinic in late 2012. Lauren eventually invited them to Forward Church in Slavic Village, one of Cleveland’s poorest neighborhoods.
Her husband, Jeff Bodziony, is the lead catalyst of Forward Church.
Despite its barebones budget, Forward Church was able to help the Prescotts in small ways (some food and transportation). But Forward Church also tapped into its volunteer base and other connections to rally behind the Prescotts.
Church members and others who heard about their ordeal have offered money, food and occasional assistance with transportation.
Through private donations, volunteers and a magic show fundraiser, the Prescotts got all their belongings from Florida. Online Marketing Coach President Mike Murray organized the events and the campaign to cover their personal items.
To make that possible, Jeff and Mike flew to Orlando, Florida to take everything out of a storage unit and load their clothes, furniture, pictures and more into a 16-foot moving truck. Mike reached out to a large Orlando church, which supplied three volunteers. Jeff and Mike drove over 1,000 miles back to Cleveland, where more volunteers unloaded the truck.
"God gets the credit for the help everyone provided to Bernie and his family,” Jeff says. “At the end of the day, we don't impact a community by waving hands once a week at our services; we impact our residents best by being at their service all week long. If we do not help our residents tangibly move forward in every domain of life, we simply don't live up to our name – either word of it."
At one point, Bernie had three dysfunctional organs – a stomach, pancreas and small intestine. By June 22, 2012, doctors removed Bernie’s small intestine, which meant he had to rely on Intravenous Infusions 16 hours a day to stay alive. He became a transplant candidate and a Cleveland Clinic doctor and his team gave him a donor’s small intestine November 15, 2013. At the same time, they added a device to help the stomach discharge (doctors had already healed his pancreas enough with medicine).
Their saga began in 1999. His illness became apparent when Bernie and his family lived in Buxton, Maine. By 2004, his health had deteriorated so much that he couldn’t even work because of constant admissions to the hospital (32 in one year). Doctors weren’t able to fully identify the cause of the failing organs. They did come up with one diagnosis: cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS). Friends and family suggested that they try a new climate and live near relatives in Florida.
Laurie cares for Bernie as well as Willie who suffers from Alzheimer’s, degenerative disc disorder, diabetes, neuropathy, COPD, spinal stenosis, hearing loss and other ailments. Willie has lost other friends and several family members to accidents and terminal illnesses. Willie was terrified that Bernie would die too.
Recently, Laurie got a part-time job at a Burger King and served on a mission trip to Staten Island, NY to help families still recovering from Hurricane Sandy. She joined Forward Church volunteers and members of Cuyahoga Valley Church in Broadview Heights, Ohio.
But the family continues to struggle to pay for housing, food, clothes, prescriptions, transportation and other expenses.
What does the future hold?
Bernie: "Continuing with God’s plan whatever that may be. There is a reason God gave me a second chance. He knows what He needs and wants me to do, and will reveal it over time. My job is to get closer to Him and love Him unconditionally."
Willie: "Hopefully with God’s help, I can participate more with watching the children during service at the Forward Church. I am thankful for my son’s extended life. I don’t know what I would do losing him too. No mother should watch their children die before them."
Laurie: "My future plan is to be able to provide for my family with God’s help. My Faith grows stronger, and stronger each day. My Lord will not fail me. I am waiting for the day that I can pay it forward, and minister God’s word to others. Everyone’s journey is different. I don‘t know what the Lord has in store for me, but I know with Jesus as my GPS, my final destination will be home, to my Father God."
Contact
Online Marketing Coach
Mike Murray
216-533-0933
www.onlinemarketingcoach.com
Mike Murray
216-533-0933
www.onlinemarketingcoach.com
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