I am a firefighter/paramedic, so I’m usually involved in caring for others during their emergency. Now the scrip has flipped and the emergency involved my own family this time. 

This fundraiser is for our Dad And Mom, Carter and Autumn Shank. They have always been there to support my sister and I during hard times, and we are trying to return the favor, with your help.

Our Dad started to have a debilitating headache, he described it as “brain crushing,” on Friday May 19th. At that time, he did not have any other symptoms. This headache continued all weekend, and on Monday at 3a.m. He got up to use the bathroom and collapsed to the floor, unable to use his legs or get up by himself. At that point Autumn realized this was no “normal headache” and took him to the emergency room.

A CT-scan was performed and doctors stated he was having a stroke. They decided to transfer him by ambulance to a more appropriate hospital. Shortly after, they noticed his symptoms continued to get worse, and they changed the plan and had him transported by air plane to Flint Michigan. At the moment we are still waiting for tests to understand the cause and extent of possible damage.

For those who know him, you may be relieved to hear his sense of humor is still in full working order. Evidently, not even a stoke can take his sense of humor away. Haha! So far, what seems to be affected is his speech, vision, and fine motor control. He slurs his word and talks much softer and slower than usual. He is having both double vision and blurred vision. He also complains of a continuous headache because of his brain swelling which is caused by the ischemic stroke.

We are asking for continued prayers during this difficult time. We are setting this fundraiser up for Dad and Mom to help with any unexpected financial burdens and the rising costs of his care in the neuro ICU of the hospital, and to help ease day-to-day life so Mom is able to focus on Dads care and not have to focus on work at this moment.

Our Dad is self-employed, so as you can imagine this will have a great impact on them financially since he will most definitely not be working any time soon, and may not be able to work in the future due to deficits from the stroke. Thank you for donating and for your continued support. We really can’t thank you enough!

-The Shank Family

-Update-

Today (5/23/2023) dad had an angiogram to get a better look at the cause of the stroke. The nurse said he had a cerebellum stroke, which is what controls the balance and coordination of the body, along with vision as well. Which explains all the symptoms he’s having now. They said that we really won’t know the extent of long term damage for about a year. But also stated that his brain will “rewire” and relearn certain tasks. It will be a long road to recovery for him but some improvement will come with physical therapy. Thank you all again for your support and thoughts and prayers.

-The Shank Family