Justin Alexander Family Fund
Donation protected
In the past few days, my sister Katie has told me repeatedly, and with wonder, "I'm not supposed to be the one asking for money, I'm supposed to be the one giving money." It's a strange situation to be in, one that we all hope will never happen to us - but it's amazing to watch the contours and shape of our village as it is emerging in full force.
On Friday night, 9/30, Justin complained of a migraine. It was excruciating and bizarre. Over the course of the next 36 hours he would go from complete agony to blissful moments with no pain at all. In the middle of this, Saturday morning, he managed to take his daughter (my niece) Ansley to Turner's Donuts - because he had promised her and that's the kind of guy he is. She never knew how much pain he was in.
Finally Sunday morning, his wife (my sister) Katie insisted that they get to urgent care. A CT scan revealed a subarachnoid hemorrhage (a small bleed) in his brain, by his left temple. He was told to go directly to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, in one of life's strange, ironical twists, to get care from Interventional Radiology, the very team of people he works with as an Interventional Radiologic Technologist.
Sunday night, the surgeon found the culprit; a clover-shaped, three-lobed brain aneurism (weakening of a blood vessel wall). Dr. Case explained that the shape disqualified him from getting the preferred treatment, "coiling". The only other option is "clipping" the anuerism, which involves a craniotomy (yeah, brain surgery). Given the complicated nature of this leaf-shaped little guy, Justin was transferred overnight to Shands Hospital in Gainesville for treatment by Dr. Hoh, a renowned neurosurgeon.
Dr. Hoh performed the surgery on Monday. It took over five hours. Having trouble coming out of his anesthesia, they found a hematoma in his brain, which we have learned had effects similar to a stroke. They went right back into surgery, removed the hematoma, and Justin is now in recovery in the ICU.
His speech is limited, but it seems to be improving. He is understandably ornery and confused. He gets a huge grin on his face when he sees his kids, the outstanding Caden (12) and Ansley (9).
Recovery is going to be long, frustrating, exhausting, precarious. He needs to stay in the ICU for at least 8-14 days, assuming there are no complications, and he'll be in the hospital a minimum of one month. And it's not clear yet how all of this is going to effect him long-term. We all fully believe he can and will have a full recovery.
This family is not in the practice of asking for charity. They (we) are already so grateful for the wishes, prayers, thoughts, words, kindnesses, ideas, offers and mere presence of the people who have made themselves known. This campaign is simply an answer to the question we keep hearing, "How can I help?"
There's no way to know what this will all cost. On top of hospital bills (no idea if insurance will cover him in Gainesville), both parents are missing work, likely for many weeks. And of course there's the problem of travel expenses and lodging - not that we've been able to pull Katie, Justin's parents Kerry, Fritzann and Papa John away from his hospital bed! This is a STUBBORN group of individuals.
We are so greatful to have Carole "Kat" Alexander, who is staying at home in Bradenton, and doing the incredibly important work of keeping the kids in school, and keeping their lives and routine as normal as possible.
I'll keep updates here as they come. In the meantime, thank you for taking the time to read their story and contributing in any way that you find appropriate, whether it's wishes or dollars, or something I haven't thought about yet.
Love to the Village,
Sarah Glendening
On Friday night, 9/30, Justin complained of a migraine. It was excruciating and bizarre. Over the course of the next 36 hours he would go from complete agony to blissful moments with no pain at all. In the middle of this, Saturday morning, he managed to take his daughter (my niece) Ansley to Turner's Donuts - because he had promised her and that's the kind of guy he is. She never knew how much pain he was in.
Finally Sunday morning, his wife (my sister) Katie insisted that they get to urgent care. A CT scan revealed a subarachnoid hemorrhage (a small bleed) in his brain, by his left temple. He was told to go directly to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, in one of life's strange, ironical twists, to get care from Interventional Radiology, the very team of people he works with as an Interventional Radiologic Technologist.
Sunday night, the surgeon found the culprit; a clover-shaped, three-lobed brain aneurism (weakening of a blood vessel wall). Dr. Case explained that the shape disqualified him from getting the preferred treatment, "coiling". The only other option is "clipping" the anuerism, which involves a craniotomy (yeah, brain surgery). Given the complicated nature of this leaf-shaped little guy, Justin was transferred overnight to Shands Hospital in Gainesville for treatment by Dr. Hoh, a renowned neurosurgeon.
Dr. Hoh performed the surgery on Monday. It took over five hours. Having trouble coming out of his anesthesia, they found a hematoma in his brain, which we have learned had effects similar to a stroke. They went right back into surgery, removed the hematoma, and Justin is now in recovery in the ICU.
His speech is limited, but it seems to be improving. He is understandably ornery and confused. He gets a huge grin on his face when he sees his kids, the outstanding Caden (12) and Ansley (9).
Recovery is going to be long, frustrating, exhausting, precarious. He needs to stay in the ICU for at least 8-14 days, assuming there are no complications, and he'll be in the hospital a minimum of one month. And it's not clear yet how all of this is going to effect him long-term. We all fully believe he can and will have a full recovery.
This family is not in the practice of asking for charity. They (we) are already so grateful for the wishes, prayers, thoughts, words, kindnesses, ideas, offers and mere presence of the people who have made themselves known. This campaign is simply an answer to the question we keep hearing, "How can I help?"
There's no way to know what this will all cost. On top of hospital bills (no idea if insurance will cover him in Gainesville), both parents are missing work, likely for many weeks. And of course there's the problem of travel expenses and lodging - not that we've been able to pull Katie, Justin's parents Kerry, Fritzann and Papa John away from his hospital bed! This is a STUBBORN group of individuals.
We are so greatful to have Carole "Kat" Alexander, who is staying at home in Bradenton, and doing the incredibly important work of keeping the kids in school, and keeping their lives and routine as normal as possible.
I'll keep updates here as they come. In the meantime, thank you for taking the time to read their story and contributing in any way that you find appropriate, whether it's wishes or dollars, or something I haven't thought about yet.
Love to the Village,
Sarah Glendening
Organizer and beneficiary
Sarah Glendening
Organizer
Bradenton, FL
Katie Alexander
Beneficiary
