Walter Clifton Reece III was born on December 23rd, 1980 at Kennestone Hospital to Walter and Pat Reece with a sister Cassie Reece. “Cliff” grew up in Dallas, GA and attended McGarity Elementary, East Paulding Middle, and East Paulding High. This brings us to Lindsay; the love of Cliff’s life, whom he met through cheerleading in which they both cheered at the same gym although she attended Harrison High School. Since then Cliff and Lindsay have been inseparable! Cliff’s athleticism allowed him to continue his passion cheering along with Lindsay, after receiving a full athletic scholarship to the University of Kentucky while she attended the rival University of Louisville.
Cliff and Lindsay have been married now for 13 years, they have 2 amazing boys Brandon (11) and Caleb (10). They decided to purchase the house next door to his parents where they lived for almost seven years before building the house they are currently residing in. This is where Cliff’s accident occurred when he injured his head which caused all of the injuries he is now experiencing. Prior to his accident, Cliff was a Senior Logistics Analyst with Caraustar Industries where he had been for almost 5 years. Lindsay works as a front office coordinator at WellStar West Cobb Medical Center where she has currently worked for 4 years. Last June, Cliff’s position was eliminated as the company was going through a major downsize.
Since February of 2016, the both of them have been dealing with the stress of selling their first house, Lindsay’s parents both underwent open heart surgery 2 months apart, while Cliff’s mother had to have shoulder surgery. Along with building a new house (the building process was 3 months behind), having to live with his parents during the whole ordeal added additional stress to both of us. Cliff’s level of stress after losing a very well-paying job increased rapidly, although he was able to receive 6 months of unemployment the funds were discontinued right before Christmas. The tension that was building led to his accident, which occurred when he fell in the bathroom, where he injured his head and caused the injuries he has now! Cliff was admitted to the hospital on January 12th (which lasted for an entire month) for severe leg pain, and dehydration which occurred due to the fall. During Cliff’s hospital stay he underwent several tests in which he encountered a staph infection from his IV placed in the ER. He was severely vitamin deficient, dehydrated, and underwent vascular surgery to remove the infection, before it became septic which was finally controlled before reaching his heart. He had a blood transfusion, multiple tests such as MRI, CT scans, ultrasounds and numerous amounts of fluids and vitamins along with bloodwork. Recovering and doing physical therapy Cliff was finally able to come home, even though no confirmed diagnosis had been made. Two weeks after being home Cliff had a spinal tap performed and the results confirmed that Cliff was suffering from CIDP (Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy), a very rare neurological disorder that eats your nerve ending from the inside out. Cliff has severe numbness, tingling, pain and no myelin sheath left on his nerves and no reflexes from the knees down.
Being home has its disadvantages as Cliff is eager to return to work, but with his disabilities, it would be difficult for Cliff to type, lift things, walk upstairs and drive. Cliff has severe numbness, tingling, pain and no myelin sheath left on his nerves and no reflexes from the knees down. Also he is still walking with the support of leg braces and use of a cane to get around. Cliff’s blood pressure often falls extremely low and he is also on a long list of medications. Some nights it is difficult to sleep because of the pain, even with the medication.
Only having Lindsay’s income for about 9 months, the savings account was starting to stretch very thin. The amount of incoming bills with the limited amount of funds was a startling reality and worrisome time for the entire family. We reached a breaking point where we had to ask for any form of assistance although our pride made it hard doing so. I think the stress of not being released to go back to work and not being able to support his family is taking a toll on him! A dear friend of ours created a GoFundMe page on Cliff’s behalf which has been helpful, but with the amount of medical bills and everyday living expenses those funds are quickly depleting.
Someone special printed out our GoFundMe page and gave it to an Angel from GOD, Bob Kelly the Director of HOG-Helping One Guy. Bob read Cliff’s story and he felt like the HOG program would be able to help us. Bob contacted Lindsay and it almost seemed too good to be true and it was a relief that someone would think of him during this challenging time.
Cliff has been working extremely hard with this medical illness and knows that it could have been worse, but is thankful for every day that he spends with his family and loved ones. We really appreciate all the love, support, thoughts and prayers during this challenging time. We recently placed a sign on our mantel that reads: “God Doesn’t Give Us What We Can Handle, God Helps Us Handle What We Are Given”. So fitting for the current situation!
Thank you & God Bless!
Cliff & Lindsay Reece
