Ryan Stone

Drew is my friend. He had a rough upbringing, and I met him years ago at a resort where I was assistant manager — he worked maintenance, and even there his personality shined through. Later I helped him get a job where I worked, and I was proud of him when he made it through 90 days in maintenance. It's a hard job, and he earned it. So when Drew came to us for help, I was inclined to say yes. His father had just been released from the hospital and needed to move in with Drew's family. At the same time, Drew's close friend Seth had been in a bad wreck with a dump truck and needed full-time, live-in care. Drew needed to focus on his wife, his kids, and his dad — he couldn't take on both. That's where we stepped in. What was meant to be 40 hours a week of aide help — which would have helped with our bills a little — quickly turned into a full-time, live-in situation. We gave up our living room and became Seth's caretakers. My wife, who is disabled, helped during the day; I helped at night after work. Seth quickly grew on us. We learned tracheal suction and other medical care, attended hospital trainings, and got to know his family in Mississippi, who drove in to help build a wheelchair ramp. Seth is paralyzed from the chest down and needs significant medical support. Complications sent him back to the hospital, and his time in the ICU was terrifying for all of us — at one point they gave him a 30% chance of making it. He pulled through. Next he's headed to a two-month program in Joplin, where surgeons will reattach the tendons in his right arm (he has no use of it right now), and his care team will address the hardware along his spine and his feeding port. We'll be standing with him and his family through all of it. I took time off work to be present through all of this. On top of it, my company is in the middle of a buyout, making my job uncertain — and my work is seasonal, so we have little financial cushion. Then we got the call that our daughter had been in a serious wreck. We can't share details, but her recovery will be a long road, and we've set up a separate GoFundMe for her here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/supporting-alyssa-after-the-car-accident/fb/o We still have kids at home and a beloved dog nearing the end of his life. We're not asking for help because we regret opening our home — we're asking because these overlapping hardships have left us unable to cover the basic costs of caring for the people we love. Where your donation goes: • Time away from work to provide care • Housing and household costs • Travel to and from Joplin • Our daughter's recovery expenses Any support would mean the world to us. Thank you for reading — and please keep everyone involved in your thoughts.

My daughter got her collar bone re attached, They are looking into her neck swelling and taking staples out. She needs help taking care of her 3 dogs, rent, attorney fees & hospital bills. Seth is being transferred from ICU to Joplin MO so we can help to get this place ready for him to return after his arm ligaments on the right arm are reattached. He is not currently in a position to be out of hospital care full time, He’s still facing many complications and so is my daughter. So we put this up to help and attached the go fund me from Alyssa’s mother. Story: I'm Ryan Stone, and I'm asking for help so my family can keep helping someone we love. For the past couple of months, we've been showing up for other families in crisis — and we've run our resources dry doing it. Right now, we're standing with Seth and his family. Seth is in the ICU and is being transferred to Joplin, and we're doing everything we can to be there: driving back and forth, sitting with the family, helping wherever we're needed. Your donation covers the cost of us being there: gas and travel to Joplin, meals on the road, and keeping our own bills — rent, utilities, everyday costs — paid while we give our time to Seth's family. If you've ever had someone show up for you in your hardest moment, you know what that presence is worth. Help us keep showing up. P.S. We're also supporting our daughter after her accident — her fundraiser is here: Story: I'm Ryan Stone, and I'm asking for help so my family can keep helping someone we love. For the past couple of months, we've been showing up for other families in crisis — and we've run our resources dry doing it. Right now, we're standing with Seth and his family. Seth is in the ICU and is being transferred to Joplin, and we're doing everything we can to be there: driving back and forth, sitting with the family, helping wherever we're needed. Story: I'm Ryan Stone, and I'm asking for help so my family can keep helping someone we love. For the past couple of months, we've been showing up for other families in crisis — and we've run our resources dry doing it. Right now, we're standing with Seth and his family. Seth is in the ICU and is being transferred to Joplin, and we're doing everything we can to be there: driving back and forth, sitting with the family, helping wherever we're needed. If you've ever had someone show up for you in your hardest moment, you know what that presence is worth. Help P.S. We're also supporting our daughter after her accident — her fundraiser is here:

So Seth is sounding better, He’s being transferred to another hospital for a couple months. Our prayers are with him and his family. Hopefully so can get him out safely and back to a condition he’s able to do normal home care. I also wanted to list my daughters link she will be facing very extensive hospital bills, mortgage, attorney fees and we still want to ask anyone that can support please do. https://gofund.me/95cb34101.

Helping Our Family Through an Unexpected Crisis We opened our home to help a friend and his family. As I got to know Drew, I saw what a hard life he had lived. He wanted better for his kids — this guy has an amazing personality and real potential, and despite a rough past, he was determined to give his wife and kids a better life than he'd known. They have two children, including a son who is autistic, so I knew he was already carrying a lot. I helped him get a job where I work, and for the first time, things were finally looking up for his family. I was proud of the hard work he and his wife had put into building something better. Then Drew came to us for help. His father had been injured and, after being released from the hospital, needed care — so his father moved in with Drew's family. That alone was a lot for them to take on. On top of that, Drew's close friend Seth had been severely injured in a wreck a couple months earlier and needed full-time, live-in care of his own. Drew couldn't take on both his father and Seth at the same time, and I was the best person he knew to ask for help with Seth. I could tell how much Seth meant to Drew. The situation was serious, so we offered Seth a place in our home. What started as a plan for 40 hours of care a week changed quickly when the doctor said Seth needed full-time, live-in care. It was a big ask, but Drew had come so far — my wife and I agreed to give up our living room to make it work. What began as part-time help quickly became full-time caregiving that limited our ability to leave home. My wife, who is disabled, helped during the day; I worked late, so I helped at night. Seth quickly grew on us. We rearranged our lives, learned tracheal suction and the other care he needed, and attended several hospital training sessions so he could stay out of the hospital and live as normal a life as possible, rather than face losing his room to insurance-driven discharge policies. Over almost two months, we also got to know Seth's family, who live in Mississippi — genuinely loving, caring people. We wanted Seth to feel safe outside a hospital environment, which meant building a real support system around him. He was paralyzed from the chest down and needed significant medical support: a metal brace, a tracheal tube, and a feeding port. His wounds were more serious than we expected, and delays in getting the right medical supplies eventually sent him back to the ER. We got him home again and things looked up — until it became clear he needed more advanced care than we were equipped to provide. His family drove in and helped us build a wheelchair ramp and try to make it sustainable. Despite everything we tried, he fell into another emergency and returned to the ICU, where he remains while we work with his family on a long-term plan. I took a couple weeks off work to be present through all of this, and I've worried about the toll it's taken on my wife. At the same time, my company is in the middle of a buyout, which has made my job uncertain — and because my work is seasonal, we have little financial cushion right now. Then, on top of everything, we got the call that our daughter had been in a serious wreck. We aren't able to discuss the details, but her road ahead includes a real recovery, and she has set up a separate GoFundMe for her. I will include her link..    We still have kids at home and a beloved dog nearing the end of his life. All of this together has put our household — and the other families involved — under real strain. We're not asking for help because we regret opening our home. We're asking because a series of sudden, overlapping hardships has left us unable to cover the basic costs of caring for the people we love: Seth, still fighting in the ICU; our close friend Drew and his family; and our daughter as she recovers from her wreck and  Any support goes toward helping us catch up now, and toward our ability to keep showing up for others long-term. We know not everyone is in a position to give, and there are so many families who need help right now — we're grateful for whatever you can offer, and we ask that you keep everyone involved in your thoughts. We set out to help, and now we find ourselves needing that same kindness in return. Thank you.