Bring Mitchell Brown Home

On the evening of January 1st, we received a phone call that no person hopes to receive and would change everything we thought we knew in an instant.

330 miles away, while driving in Washington DC to visit his mother who’d been transferred to hospice, Mitch suffered a major heart attack that caused his heart to stop and to lose control of his vehicle, resulting in a collision with a bus.

His heart would stop two more times that night, requiring countless rounds of CPR and electrical shocks to his chest, before medical professionals would be able to stabilize him and bring him to the ICU. For the next three days, he remained intubated and in a coma while undergoing test after test to determine the extent of the damage to his body.

We were unsure if he would ever recover.

However, on the fourth day, Mitch did the unthinkable—he slowly opened his eyes and smiled. He continued to surprise us all: passing his breathing tests and getting extubated, mouthing his name, naming his daughters, and moving his arms and legs. There were ups and downs, of course. He struggled with speaking and getting his thoughts across, and his strength was significantly diminished—making the simple act of standing a celebrated achievement. But, each day was an improvement, a glimpse of the Mitch he used to be, and after many sleepless nights it seemed like the worst was behind us.

Unfortunately, just as we were working on getting him to rehab and on the road to recovery, Mitch suffered a severe GI bleed that would land him back in the ICU on a ventilator. He continued to fight an uphill battle as he pulled through another episode of cardiac arrest, pneumonia, pulmonary embolisms, blood clots in his legs and arm, and a second GI bleed. This go around, he remained in a coma much longer, and sadly his mother passed away without him by her side.

As I write this, 22 days after the initial incident, he is only just coming back to us—regaining some movement in his arms and legs, and just beginning to breathe on his own again. We now know the road ahead is long and will be difficult with his rehabilitation and future medical needs still largely unknown.

Despite our best efforts, Mitch’s insurance will not cover his transport back to Connecticut, leaving us with no choice but to pay out of pocket in order to get him home. We know these past few years have been tough for everyone, and that money is increasingly tight, so it’s not without difficulty that we humbly ask for your help in bringing Mitch home within this window where he’s stable and safe for transport.

Through all of the setbacks, Mitch has not given up and he has continued to fight for his life each time—for the chance to see his daughters graduate college, for the chance to see his oldest daughter get married, for another day on the soccer field. If you are able to contribute at all, no matter how small, it will be the difference in him coming home to Connecticut versus remaining hundreds of miles away in DC.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you have contributed, words truly cannot describe how thankful we are to you. Anything you are able to give will go towards transport costs, medical bills, rehabilitation services, and any future care for Mitch.

With hope and many thanks,

Yanhua, Lindsey, Mackensie, Cameryn, and Kate

How we are related to Mitch: We are his family. Mackensie, Lindsey, Cameryn, and Kate are his daughters. Yanhua is his wife.

Plan to get funds to Mitch: We will be transferring the money to a bank account that will be used exclusively for Mitch's medical expenses. The money will then be used as medical expenses accrue for Mitch.

How the funds will be spent: The funds will be used to help pay the ambulance bill that transported Mitch back to CT from Washington DC. Leftover funds will then be used to pay for Mitch's other medical bills including his current stay at the rehab facility and the medical equipment that Mitch will need upon his discharge from rehab.