On May 1st, 2025, Stephen suffered a hemorrhagic stroke that caused a very large brain bleed. Thankfully, he was able to communicate his symptoms, and the EMS was called quickly. He was Life Flighted from Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, NC to UNC Chapel Hill, to the NeuroICU. He had lots of tests and an initial surgery to find the cause of the bleed. Doctors found an AVM (arterial venous malformation) on the top left side of his brain. Working in the automotive field, he is prone to hitting his head, and that caused the AVM to burst and bleed out. He was in the ICU for 6 days and has been moved to a regular floor to wait on an open bed at the UNC acute intensive rehab facility in Hillsborough, NC. Once he leaves rehab, he will start on his outpatient neurosurgery journey. He will need to go back into the hospital for brain surgery to take care of the AVM.

His wife, Sarah, has been out of work and in the hospital by his side the whole time, and his 2 children are staying with their grandparents for the time being. Their income right now is on a pause due to being at the hospital and Stephen needing help due to there being no right arm or leg mobility yet.

This GoFundMe is to help cover living expenses while Stephen is going through rehab and recovery. He has a decent road ahead of him, but he is determined to find the strength and get back on his feet. If you know him well, he is missing the water and catching bass. We are so grateful that he is still here with us, and taking this burden off of them will help aid in focusing on his recovery.