For too long this year, a hospital room has been our view.

This is my husband, Austin! The most hardworking, helpful, charismatic, and talented man in Texas. Austin has always worked hard physically and mentally at his job and in his free time. He loves to tinker and fix things! He has been doing electrical troubleshooting for 7+ years now, working on wind turbines. He gets to be physical and climb towers, while using his head to find a solution to complex problems. But starting December 2023, everything changed.

Austin fell ill at work and had to be evacuated and taken to the ER. All of January he stayed in the hospital where daily tests were run to find and fix the problem. Austin had developed blood clots in his spleen, from an autoimmune disorder called Antiphospholipid Syndrome. On top of being sick from an unknown viral illness, he was in bad shape. He couldn't go back to work, or let alone get off the couch. From February to April he recovered at home - frequently visiting doctors - and racking up medical bills.

In April, he was desperate to try to go back to work. He got on a plane, and off he went. After 1 week he was evacuated and taken to the hospital, again.

At this point, my husband had gone from a strong, 173 lb man, to a 147 lb broken soul. We knew we weren't out of the woods yet, and continued to put our faith in God! He worked hard to get better. He ate all the healthiest foods he could (with my help), and did what minimal exercises he could to regain strength.

Finally, in July, Austin got the all clear to go back to work! After 6 months of health issues, he felt strong enough to give it another try.

Then, on July 22nd, disaster struck again.

He went out to mow our yard - a normal task that we all do regularly. When he was almost finished, the flap that directs the grass, broke off - exposing the blade. Austin said to himself "Well, that's dangerous. But, I've been out here 5 hours and I'm almost done. I'll fix it when I finish." Not 5 minutes later, he hits a root that jerks the mower and tosses him off the seat! Sure enough, his right foot slid right into that exposed blade.

For weeks, we did everything we could to heal the foot - after 2 surgeries it continued to decay.

On August 9th, after 18 days in ICU, he went in for his 3rd surgery where they debrided his foot.

They took more than we had hoped, but recovery is going well, so far. This is a new avenue for us, and we will be learning many new things. We're not sure what the next days/years will bring. But we have faith in God's plan for us! Austin is one amazing person and if anyone can come from this victorious, he can!

He has an amazing family and group of friends who jump at the opportunity to help. We wouldn't have survived this long without them. Now we humbly ask again for help from anyone who is able.

It's embarrassing, and extremely difficult to stick your hand out. But, desperate times will force you to swallow your pride.

Thank you for reading this! And thank you for your contribution. It is truly helpful and appreciated.