Hello – My Name is Donnie Fritts
I was born to JB and Alma Fritts
on
After a few years my dad and mom divorced and my dad later married Vivian.
Growing up, I lived in various places. With my mom I lived in
I attended
I moved back to
On
We had both been married before and were reluctant to take that step, at first.In spite of the whole cancer ordeal, we are very
happy that we are together! I love her so very much and she loves me too!
Between us we have 6 children. I have a daughter that lives in
I have 2 sons who live in
Crystal has 2 daughters, Britney who will be 6 in May
and Patricia who will be 3 in July.
Gina, 24 this April, lives in Dayton Oh. with her
husband Ryan and their 2 sons, Dylan 4 On Feb. 4 and Collin who turned 2 on
Christmas eve. She just had Camryn LeAnn in Nov. We
haven't got to "meet" Camryn yet.
On
In November of 2002 all the employees of Perfect Fit Industries were informed
that the plant was permenantly closing down. After
9/11, business at the plant decreased rapidly.
At that time I was working up to 12 hours per day, five days a week.
I was working in the dye house and the temperature in there often reached as
high as 120 degrees.
The doctors later informed me that a lot of my extreme faigue
was due to unknowingly having cancer eating my facial bones as well as the
normal fatigue associated with that kind of work.
I have always been a hard worker and even after finding out I had cancer I
continued to work until the plant completely closed down.
Losing my job and finding out that I had cancer at about the same time turned
my world upside down.
I went to apply for medical assistance. I had to lay my head in
They informed us that in order for me to recieve
medical assistance that I would have to refuse my earned unemployement
benefits after working all that time at Perfect Fit. If I didn't refuse it I
couldn't get a medical card.We were also informed
that is our household made over a certain amount of money I wouldn't qualify
for assistance. My wife had to quit her job to become my full time
caregiver(with no pay) It was and continues to be hard.(at times)
Once all the doctors decided on their course of action they started their procedures.Medicaid paid for them to remove my face but it
will NOT pay for them to put me a face back on! It is called "COSMETIC
surgery and procedure"
That just does not make sense to me!
The doctors have told me specifically to avoid smoke, dust and fumes because
there is so much cut out of my face and I am more susceptible to pollutants
than most people are. Whenever I go to visit certain people, because of the air
in their home I am usually in bed, very sick, for a few days.
My doctors say that I NEED a nose to filter out those pollutants and though I
have worked my whole life and paid my taxes , since I
have medicaid and no other insurance I have to come
up with the cash to have my face rebuilt. I think that that is unfair. I can't
have a nose, a roof of the mouth, a top lip and teeth because it is called
"cosmetic" I will abide by the rules but I don't agree with them!
With the help of God, my wife, my friends and family, the Donnie Fritts Cancer Fund, and The Woodmen of America, I believe
that one day soon- Mr. Robert Barron www.prosthesis.com and Dr. Michael Singer
will make a face for me and I will be a "normal" person again.
My wife and I continue to live in