Support Keith Fisher's Stroke Recovery Journey

Dear friends and family,

My name is Tyson, I'm a long-time friend of Keith Fisher. On July 18th, Keith suffered a hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel in or on the brain ruptures and bleeds. The incident happened at his residence and despite the paralysis Keith experienced at the time of the stroke, he, fortunately, was able to retrieve his phone and call his close friend, Dennis, who quickly acted and had emergency services rush him to Riverbend Hospital.

Keith was in the ICU at Riverbend for five days and stabilized enough to be moved to the 6th floor patient rooms on Tuesday, July 23rd. His condition improves daily, but his speech and motor skills are impaired. I spent some hours with him on the 26th, and while his speech is slurred, I had little to no issue talking with or understanding him. He has his phone with him, but he told me it's difficult to navigate at the moment. So texting or phone calls are possible, but not ideal currently. Walking still requires assistance, but according to his doctors, it is progressing daily. His sense of humor is fully intact, despite the devastating circumstance. Keith has at least two more weeks at the hospital as they transition him into physical therapy, and an even longer and harder path once discharged.

If you've had the pleasure of spending any time with Keith, you already know how deserving he is of this collective support. You also know he would never ask for it. Like most who have served the country, loyalty and selflessness are qualities that follow them home, Keith is a walking example of those values, and it's why the friends he's made are still his friends today. You'll never see him without a backwards black ballcap (which I half expected to see walking into his hospital room), and despite being able to grow an awesome full beard, that looks great and the ladies love, he still defaults to the goatie. I may tell him this GoFundMe was organized to grow and keep the beard.

The goal of this fundraiser is to provide relief from things insurance won't cover, such as bills and general daily living costs. We want to see Keith focus on his recovery and transition back to daily life without the burden of those expenses adding to an already difficult and stressful situation. His first two months, post-stroke, are the most vital to his recovery. Half of the funds raised are being allocated to his most important recurring expenses, and if we meet our goal of $5,000, it will pre-pay all of his bills for two months, the other half will go to his daily expenses; Door Dash for groceries, Uber for travel, part-time in-home care or help, and of course, a UFC pay-per-view or two.

If this has reached you, please consider helping in one of two ways (or both); by sharing this with others who know and love Keith, or by donating. Even the smallest amount is greatly appreciated and will add up if we can help spread the word.

Thank you so much for any help you can provide. Keith has no idea we are doing this for him yet. But I will make sure to update this fundraiser with his response when we reveal it to him. I will also do my best to keep you all updated on his progress.

With gratitude,

~Tyson