Chris Cannon Stroke and Surgery Support

Dad suffered a major stroke this past weekend, and there are still lots of uncertainties and hurdles ahead.

We need help covering his rent and workshop while he is out of work recovering from the stroke and waiting for his brain surgery. Praying for continued miracles before we make any permanent decisions with his belongings.

We’re working without any medical insurance at this point (hospital stays, neurologist appointments, major surgeries and more) and he doesn’t have an official employer so he doesn’t have any paid time off. Since he lives alone, but is not able to at this point, he is staying in St Augustine with his daughter and grandkids. It’s still too soon to tell what things will look like long term.

Dad has always been the first person to help any and everyone in need. Sunrise to sunset he’s running around working or doing favors or helping friends. He is the rock in his daughters and grandkids lives and an incredible friend and worker. Anything you can contribute to help support the guy who is always supporting everyone around him would be greatly appreciated.

What’s happened / updates from Megan (daughter):

Tuesday 11/02: Dad shows up when he’s not asked, and twice as fast when he is. He has been a beam of light in the kids life showing them what a dad can be; what a dad should be - as we drive the single parent ship. Building bedrooms and fixing plumbing and taking my sobbing calls and my cursing calls and my belly laughing calls and everything between. He’s always there.

This weekend he came up for Halloween. He got to the house Saturday around dinner before the kids came home. We got to hang out watching home videos and laughing just the two of us. “Helping” him fix things around the house aka standing there handing him tools. He fixed the wii for Cannon (his namesake) and brought him Mario Cart. When the kids came home Sunday dad showed them the Wii and watched them beaming as they squealed with excitement. Then he tied the neighbors wagons to his cart and towed everyone’s beers, toddlers and candy around as we walked trick or treating.

I should have noticed when he came in last place at Mario cart with the kids. I should have noticed when he showed me the same video Sunday he showed the day before. I should have noticed when he was lost in the neighborhood. I should have listened when he said he was dizzy and not feeling right. But I didn’t. And today we learned he had a massive stroke.

I don’t have words to express my gratitude for this past beautiful weekend which may have been his last fully lucid weekend. I don’t have words or knowledge to navigate this chapter. The road ahead is a blur and scary. I know people do it every day, and we will too.

A couple years ago he said, in typical cryptic dad fashion, that if he died tomorrow he would be okay, because he lived a good full life. I clung to those words as I made the drive to be with him this morning. He’s still here. His humor is still intact. The strongest and best man I have ever known. Send him your prayers, and tell the people you love you love them.

Thursday 11/4

Minutes after I got to the hospital Tuesday the doctor came down with the MRI results telling me dad had a major stroke and it was too late to do anything medically for said stroke. Several areas of the frontal lobe were damaged and I was told with a straight face “this is bad news. What you see is what you get”. We were told therapy would not help him with the damage he sustained.

Wednesday further testing showed it was caused because only 1/4 of the vessels that supply blood to the brain is working, and that that one is severely diseased. Said he is only getting about half of the blood to his brain the rest of us are, and it’s been that way for a long time. We suspect his heart is in similar condition.

We later learned it seems highly likely this is not his first stroke and he’s been having them (small) for years. Including earlier this year one the hospital seemingly missed and brushed off as fainting.

He doesn’t have insurance. So to say the road ahead with a dad who could not tell you his name was overwhelming is the understatement of the century (we’re talking care available- not even touching on the financial situation).

Thursday I showed up to the hospital to a coherent dad, dressed and sitting up in bed talking about getting out of there. At first I was impressed/ taken back by his clear speech, but convinced his clothes and discharge talk were his own made up ideas about escaping. But the longer I stayed the longer I realized memory, speech and his sense of time were back to almost normal - like they fell from the sky overnight. He passed every part of PT and OT evals and was sent on his way.

He’s home with me for 2-4 weeks to heal/prep for surgery to clear one of the 90% clogged vessels. And he’s functional enough against every single odd to make it manageable to have him here (though it’ll be miles from perfect I am certain). Mr.Independent was /is clearly stoked to have me driving and supervising him for the next few weeks I’m so thankful he’s able to drive me crazy again. I have no clue what these coming days entail as the last 72 hours have been just. . Insane. I honestly don’t know what version of dad I will wake up tomorrow, so I want to be sure to acknowledge this.

There are no words for the miracle that he’s alive, much less functioning next to normal. He drove himself from St Augustine to Jupiter during / just after a major stroke. His home security cameras confirm he was out of it when he got home. We’re not out of the woods, but holy hell am I thankful for this day of this journey.

We’re both deliriously exhausted, who knows if this update is even coherent, but in awe to have had even ten more minutes with my regular dad, and blown away by the people who have stepped up to help & love us both through this. Thank you. Love you. Send coffee.