I want to share a story of a family in crisis. Andy is a 45 year old, disabled veteran, father of 4, who had a ischemic stroke to the hind brain which has affected his vision, balance, and memory. In addition to being the sole income provider for his family, he is an active member of his community and his church. His wife is homeschooling some of the children, and is able to be home with their youngest son who just turned 3. In addition, she teaches free nutrition classes at the local library each month. He is the volunteer cadet commander for the Fayetteville composite squadron for the Civil Air Patrol, and has certified in FEMA classes for disaster preparedness.
Andy has no major or chronic health issues, and no recent injury that would cause a stroke, it came as a complete shock to the family. He was admitted to the hospital in the morning and by night he was intubated, and sedated. He was kept sedated in ICU at Wake Med then at Duke for almost 2 weeks. In addition to the stroke the doctors found large blood clots in his heart and lungs. Either of these alone are serious but treatable but both situations together create a paradox. He is now at Wake Med for intensive rehab. Today, 4/18 marks the beginning of week 5 of his hospital stay, he is expected to be in intensive therapy for another 3 weeks, assuming the medical part of his condition is stabilized by then.
The trip to the hospitals is over an hour away from home, sometimes on a toll road and always with paid parking. Stacy makes the trip daily in order to support her husband and be involved in the medical decisions because he has been deemed unable to make decisions for himself. Friends have been an awesome help by babysitting, preparing meals, and visiting Andy in the hospital.
As unfortunate as these health conditions are, the problem is actually a financial one. Fortunately his insurance has short term disability, unfortunately it only pays 60% and is good for only 12 weeks. His recovery is expected to be lengthy and include outpatient rehab as well as continued neurological support. The lasting effects of the stroke are currently unknown, it is also unknown if he will be able to see well enough to drive again or resume his career as a computer engineer. Stacy applied for social services and was denied food & nutrition assistance because even though their income meets the criteria, they do not fit the formula. Stacy sold her truck in order to reduce the payments they are responsible for. They do not have any credit card payments, do not eat out regularly, and do not pay for cable tv, there are no more ways to slim down the budget.
Any amount you are able to contribute would be spent wisely, if you cannot contribute please pray for the family and the medical team responsible for his care. Be sure to pass this on so it gets as much exposure as possible.