Ben's Stroke Recovery Fund

On Thursday, December 20 at approximately 3:50am I awoke to find Ben mid-collapse in the kitchen of our home. I recognized some of the warning signs for stroke (seriously people, memorize F.A.S.T - it can happen to ANYONE) and immediately laid him down to call 911. Ben was taken first to Baystate Franklin, and then transported to Baystate Springfield where he was diagnosed with a rare and almost entirely fatal type of ischemic stroke - a Basilar Artery Occlusion. He was able to receive a potentially risky yet ultimately successful thrombectomy to remove the blood clot at the base of his brain. We were later told that they estimated that Ben had approximately a 4% chance of survival. So far, the brain damage that Ben has suffered to his cerebellum doesn't seem to have had any adverse effects to his mobility or motor skills. Despite all of these miraculous happenings of chance, we're settling in for an unexpected emergency with a recovery much longer than we anticipated - and during what would have been a busy holiday season at Great Spirits. Spending Christmas in a hospital bed is disappointing, but being out of work for an extended amount of time is distressing. Unfortunately, the freedoms of self-employment mean that (like many of you) we're not afforded a safety net of adequate insurance or paid sick leave, and our meager savings are already beginning to rapidly deplete. Humbly, we are coming to our friends and family for help getting us through the holiday season while Ben is out of work. It is also likely that Ben's bills and expenses will exceed $25,000. We all know Ben would start tattooing from his hospital bed now if he could, but surviving a stroke requires a lot of diligent resting of both mind and body. A prideful problem-solver, Ben never thought he'd have to do something like fundraise for himself - but he also never thought he'd be this close to losing everything he loves. Thank you to all of our friends, family, and clients who've reached out, and who've continued to support us over the years.