JEFF NEELY UPDATE: We have found temporary shelter for Jeffy. Medicare has offered help buy Jeffy a new medical bed and breathing assistance device. The Cottage Hospital Foundation is helping Jeffy with a grant to help with relocation expenses, medicine, and clothes. The MDCA has received a number of donations to help Jeffy with his immediate needs. THANK YOU. Mark Serumgard has fixed the lift on Jeffys van and is the lead person in charge of Jeffy's care and relocation. (mark@solforce.com) We are looking for Long Term Wheelchair accessible housing for Jeffy at this time.

Jeff Neeley has lived on Mountain Drive his entire life. A car accident left him paralized at the age of 18, but misfortune could not stop Jeffy. He learned how to write computer software and got a job. He has worked his entire adult life as a quadrapalegic. He lived in his own home built for him by his friends in the community. That home is gone.

The fire burned it to the ground along with his special bed, his computers, his clothes and all his belongings. Please help us help Jeffy. By making a tax deductible donation to the MDCA we will use any funds we receive to help Jeffy first. We are also looking for a temporary home for him that is wheelchair accessible. If you can help, please contact Abe Powell at teafirerelief@gmail.com.

How can one explain Jeff Neely? Probably best known for his big smile and kind demeanor, Jeff touches the lives of everyone he meets and as many of us now know, he has lost everything in the recent Tea Fire. His is an extreme case; a class C45 Quadriplegic, in a wheelchair, needing 24 hour medical care, and homeless. His small mountain drive cottage was literally his life line. It was designed by neighbors and Friends over the years to accommodate his disability, from his light switches to his bathroom to a home spun body lift to get him in and out of a custom medical bed. All of these essentials took decades to install and design and were simply donated by all of us who know and Love him. His home enabled him to live his life with freedom and Independence. All of that is gone.
Simply put, Jeff needs a home until his family can rebuild. He is currently being allowed to stay at a local medical facility but that arrangement is tenuous and can be terminated at any time. He needs space enough for 2 beds, a toilet and wheel chair accessibility. He will also need a alternating pressure air bed and a mobile howyer lift to get him in and out of bed. Please send your thoughts and ideas to us. Thank you.