Hello, my name is Mike Smith. I had two brain hemorrhages, a brainstem stroke and briefly a coma due to a genetic vascular malformation (AVM) that I was born with but I did not know I had.

 I was paralyzed from the neck down, could not see, process sounds and my memory was shot. But I have gotten most of it back thanks to my friend Emeka.

 I am doing this fundraiser to help pay for my Amazing Caretaker and physical therapist Emeka. Emeka has given me a second chance at life. After my brainstem stroke, I became a tetraplegic and developed a rare syndrome called Brown-Sequard. It causes my legs, arms, and body to stiffen like petrified wood and is a painful form of torture. 

One of the many reasons that having Emeka as my caretaker is so important is he knows how to stretch every bone and every muscle to where my arms and legs actually move and all the pain lifts. With his help, I can move them myself. 

It’s a really terrifying syndrome but I have had Emeka to stretch and get me out of bed every day. And recently with his help I was able to stand for the first time in years! We do lots of activities and he’s able to get me to doctor’s appointments in a car instead of having to use an ambulance or transport van to go to them. 

He is the reason I’m able to live with my beautiful girlfriend Gretchen and not in a nursing home. He is the reason that I am not screaming in pain 24 hours a day. A few months ago a large donation which I was gonna use to pay Emeka fell through when the donor withdrew his donation that I had already set aside and had told Emeka I’d pay him with. It’s put him and me into a financial bind and if you can help out it would mean the world to me. 

 I started this fundraiser earlier this year to pay medical bills and made the recent transition to use it primarily to pay Emeka. He brings me into the land of the living every damn day. The funds will cover Emeka for the next 12 months and help pay medical bills which are extensive. Helping Emeka is the most important thing in the world to me. 

 There are over a dozen updates below that give more context about what happened to me and the transition work that Emeka and I have done. I am grateful for all the help you’ve given and I am grateful for every moment of life I experience. 

Thank You.

 #AVM #AVMSurvivor #donate #AVMStrong #AVMStories #aneurysm #nevergiveup #neverquit #TAAF #AVMWarrior #The Beast Speaks #Emeka