I got an email today from someone I didn’t know telling me that some folks were raising money to pay for Rev. Timothy Wright’s medical care at the Kessler Institute. As you may remember, Rev. Wright was involved in a fatal car accident on July 4 that killed his beloved wife Betty and their grandson, DJ. He has been at the Geisinger Medical Center in PA since the accident.
To be honest, the “press release” was clearly not professional and contained what appeared to be personal information. To my skeptical self, it looked like it could possibly be someone taking advantage of the situation.
As your faithful blog host, I want to bring you not just the news but the facts, so I spent much of the afternoon checking out the details, starting with the Geisinger Medical Center in PA and ending with Laurie Schneider, a dear friend of the Wright family who along with David Wright is the reverend’s medical proxy.

So here’s the real story, directly from Laurie (who is an amazing woman and should be commended for the help she’s been able to give the family over the past month):
Rev. Timothy Wright was indeed transferred from Geisinger Medical Center in PA to the Kessler Institue in NJ. He does not have health insurance, other than VA coverage, and after investigating the various VA hospitals Laurie and the family decided that Rev. Wright’s best chances to recover as fully as possible would be at the Kessler Institute in NJ.
Rev. Wright has a severe C4 spinal cord injury. He is still on a respirator, which can be removed for an hour a day, and when off he can speak. Doctors expect that Rev. Wright will be on a respirator for 4-6 more weeks but will eventually be able to breathe on his own.
Rev. Wright was able to sit up today in a wheelchair for the first time, and Laurie tells me that he can feel pain in both his shoulder and neck, which is a good thing.
Laurie explained that she was able, at her own expense, to help get Rev. Wright admitted to the Kessler Institute and have his first week of medical expenses covered, but the family indeed is asking for his church community to send support if they feel led. It is likely they will need upwards of $100,000 to cover his stay at the Kessler. The family is also planning a benefit concert to help raise money for his medical expenses and further rehabilitation.
If you want to contribute to Rev. Wright’s medical expenses, here is the CORRECT information. (The information included in the email is not correct.)
Checks in the amount of $500 or more should be made out to The Kessler Institute. In the memo line please write: FOR TIMOTHY WRIGHT.
Checks under $500 should be made out to Timothy Wright.
ALL checks should be mailed to this address:
Timothy Wright Trust
c/o Timothy Wright
3399 Lawson Blvd.
Oceanside, NY 11572
If you have any questions about donating, about the medical expenses, or about the reverend’s condition, visit the Reverend’s MySpace page for updated and official information and to learn how you can help.
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