| *Billy Long passed away this morning, Tuesday, November 13, 2012, at 10:03 AM*
Guest Book for Billy Long – Online Guest Book by Hickory Daily Record and http://Legacy.com . http://www.legacy.com/guestbooks/hickoryrecord/guestbook.aspx?n=billy-long&pid=161051046#.UKQ17NnN2DI.twitter …
to help them: click HERE to see all posts about billy posted previously on this blog, click HERE  |
| Grandson Brian telling Billy, "I love you." |
Billy Long served seven years in the Army before being diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer several months ago, in a pretty dismissive fashion. Sent home with hospice care, his family, mostly Joyce, his wife, has cared for him every minute of every day. The hospice nurse comes twice a week, and an aide comes to help bathe him..Joyce is not accustomed to "help," so I am not sure she is getting all that she could. Unlike the perfect rest of us, she suffers from pride, and like so many from a disadvantaged background, she does not trust easily.
Billy got much worse this week, talking to people not there, often talking to his oldest grandson, Brian, for whom he served as a father figure. Brian is having a very hard time, as are the other two grandkids -- who all live with Billy's stepdaughter Christina in the apartment next door.
Billy is now unresponsive.
They have no money, and Joyce, also disabled by fibromyalgia and severe osteoarthritis, will see her disability income cut to $80 a month when he dies.
And this disabled vet, who served while suffering (and one must conclude, *obviously* suffering) from a disability, is being ignored now, just as he was ignored when he served his country.
Joyce's daughter Christina started a FundRazr online to help with the co-pays and ambulance charges that they were assured were not going to be charged -- for the car they had to buy to get back and forth to hospitals and ERs -- for the gas -- for the nightly meals of hot dogs -- for the nutritional drinks that were Billy's last meals. (The reason the FundRazr campaign is in Christina's name is that Joyce does not have a bank account.)
I went to Joyce's Facebook page this morning and read:
Was up all night with Billy, he was very restless, talking and mumbling all night. Now he is unresponsive since 9am this morning. When he passes there will not be a funeral for him, back in August when he went into Hospice care he signed papers for Body donation even though its not what he really wanted to do, so Christina started a fundraiser in September to maybe get help for a funeral, and some of his and our bills together, he was hoping to be able to change his mind and have a real funeral, But for THIS VET WHO SERVED HIS COUNTRY, there will be no last minute miracles as the fundraiser didnt get the results he hoped for. Today is VETERANS DAY and it is still not to late to help, there are quite a few bills related to his cancer, so if you can please visit the sight below and donate what you can::: https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/aMEW9 via FundRazr.org
It's too late for Billy.
It's not too late to help Joyce -- who is raising her sister's daughter (and has since birth), and still caring, in many ways, for her two adult daughters, and those three handsome, talented grandsons.
I'm begging you now. To help them, click HERE.
Happy Veterans' Day
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| Billy in the Army |
Billy Bradford Long GRANITE FALLS Billy Bradford Long, 57, of Granite Falls, passed away Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012, at his home. Billy was born Nov. 28, 1954. He was a veteran of the U.S.Army, having served from 1973 to 1980. He is preceded in death by a brother, John Long; and his parents, Dale and Getty Long. Survivors include his wife, Joyce Williams Long; mother-in-law, Olivee Williams; sister-in-law, Jeannie Williams; brother-in-law, Michael Williams; three daughters, Misty Bentley and family friend, Michael Sebert, Christy Casco, and Shawna Williams; and three grandchildren, Brian, Aric, and Christopher; his brothers, Tony Long and wife, Linda, Gary Long and wife, Lisa, and Roger Long and wife, Damaris, of Conover; and Libby Silcox, and daughter, Jessi, of Hickory; and many nieces and nephews. There will be a memorial service held at a later date.
