BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—A benefit event is set for February 22, 2024, from noon to 4 p.m. at The Bucyrus UMC Admin/Outreach Center, located at 216 Hopley Ave., to support Bob and Sandy Laipply as they navigate significant health challenges.
Bob and Sandy are both cherished figures in the Bucyrus community. They have devoted their lives to education and the arts. Bob, a former teacher at Bucyrus Middle School, inspired countless students during his tenure, while Sandy built an impressive career as an art educator, presenting over 100 craft demonstrations on television and owning the well-loved retail store, T’s to Tuxes, downtown for many years. As they face significant health challenges, the community is coming together to support this remarkable couple who have given so much to others.
Sandy underwent extensive back surgery on January 23, 2023, which left her with no feeling or movement in her legs—a possibility the medical team had warned her about. Though she has gradually regained some slight movement, she has faced numerous setbacks, including multiple bouts of COVID-19, urinary tract infections, and serious blood clots in her lungs.
Meanwhile, Bob faced his own health crisis. Following a hospitalization for dehydration, doctors discovered a cancerous mass on one of his kidneys. Fortunately, they were able to remove just the mass while saving the kidney. During his recovery, Bob has been staying with their daughter, Jeni, in Gahanna.
As Sandy’s condition evolved, it became necessary for her to undergo a second surgery due to rapidly accumulating calcium deposits around her spine. Over the past 13 months, she has been in four different rehabilitation and nursing facilities, currently residing at Willow Brook in Delaware, Ohio, since July 4, 2023. After months of physical therapy, Sandy can now pull herself up at the parallel bars and take a few steps forward and backward to her wheelchair, but she must be able to use a walker before she can return home.
Throughout this challenging journey, the couple has encountered difficulties with their insurance company denying coverage for Sandy’s nursing home stay.
The upcoming benefit will feature a meal of rigatoni with meat sauce, breadsticks, coleslaw, and applesauce, along with a bake sale. Attendees can also participate in a raffle with over 50 baskets and items on display, as well as a 50/50 drawing.
For more information or inquiries, please contact the organizers at 419-563-6097.
For those unable to attend the benefit, donations can be made to the Bob and Sandy Laipply Medical Benefits Savings Account at First Federal Community Bank, located at 119 S. Sandusky Ave., Bucyrus. The community’s support is greatly appreciated as the Laipply family continues to face these medical challenges.