Where do we go from here?
My Letter to Oprah about my Father....
This site is dedicated to my wonderful father.
Rodney, (or "Rock", as we call him) is only 48 years old, and yet he has almost no cartilage in his knees. We are a small, middle-class family in an old 3-story house. My grandmother lives with us because we can't afford to put her in a nursing home. My father (technically my stepfather, but he's been there for me since I was 3) is currently laid off of work because he has to take such strong medication for his knees that it makes him a "liability". Besides myself, he had been the only one in the household with a job.
I'm currently planning to find my own apartment, but I feel responsible for the welfare of my family. The last thing I would ever want is to leave them without any way to pay the bills. What I worry about even more, though, is that if my father can't afford the surgery for his knees (which he obviously can't do without a job) his knees will deteriorate so much that he won't even be able to walk (he can barely walk as it is). He is the only one left that is just barely able to carry my grandmother's oxygen tanks to the second floor, among other things.
I created this page in the hopes that maybe I could help keep the man that has been like a superman to me all my life healthy and on his feet so that he can continue to be the dedicated worker and father that he has been ever since he came into our family.
My fondest hope is that, through the efforts and support of others, "Rock" will be able to get back to the work that he loves, and be able to live without the pain that now plagues him.
The site is currently under construction - keep checking back for more details!
Want to help and promote our cause all at once? Visit the 'Rock Needs Knees' store!
