UPDATE 4/9/24:

Consulted with a neurologist about most recent MRI today. We were able to see how significant the brain damage is on the images for the first time. The brain damage is permanent, with no chance of recovery.

The damage done was a result from the significant organ failure and sepsis infection that put him in the hospital in the first place. We are told that it wouldn’t have made a difference if he was found & treated sooner.

Now the damage in his brain will start to atrophy & shrink. There is nothing else that can be done for him or his condition. The dr confirmed the diagnosis TOXIC LUEKOENCEPHALOPATHY

We are choosing to care for his comfort only, and will not be pursuing anymore medical treatments. He will be treated for pain & discomfort from today onward.

Michael’s medical conditions leave his family with an uncertain future in sight. The medical observation he will continue to need outside the hospital will be necessary to ensure that the little quality of life he has is cared for. However, this demands for an overwhelming amount of financial depletion. This is a Support Page that is a place for those who feel the desire to help financially as Rebecca does her best to secure her husband a stable future.

UPDATE AS OF 1/8/2023:

Currently the only news to be shared is that Mike is officially settled into his long-term care facility located in Deer River, MN.

What this means is that Becky no longer has a 2-Hr trip to Duluth to be with him. Instead, she can see him daily, just a few minutes down the road. She has a reason to cook again and can share meals with him… which he much appreciates not just because he loves his wife’s cooking, but because nursing home food is quite unpleasant.

Now, as many may or may not already understand, Mike is not expected to make much of a recovery from this situation. The only thing that has changed is his location. He will continue to work with occupational therapists and physical therapists, but as of right now, he is still unable to speak, move/walk, communicate or assist himself to do basic tasks such as, feed himself or use the bathroom.

He remains completely disabled.

Our grasp on what the future looks like is causing us deep anguish. We won’t know if he will ever be able to say, “I love you” or “Hey Kiddo” ever again… We can’t be certain if he will ever be able to give us a tight hug or if we will get the chance to hear the rumble of his laughter echo through a room.

As agonizing as it feels, we must find what little strength we have left and try our best to adjust… Adjust to a new reality. I refuse to use the sentence that was said to us so many times in the hospital, that this is our “new normal.” This isn’t normal. No part of this has ever felt normal or natural in any way.

However, the only way to begin any type of emotional healing, there needs to be some amount of acceptance that his condition is indeed, permanent. Aside from our Hope & Faith.

Though time & resources can now be saved from long drives, the expenses continue to be a struggle. Imagine exhausting yourself, your time & all your finances to provide some sort of quality of life to a man you have loved for over 30 years. That is my mom. She continues to get up and go to work every day, not just because she has to keep the lights on, but now because she has to provide special needs care to my father indefinitely. There is no other choice but to carry on. Regardless of how tired she is. Regardless of how psychologically traumatizing her life has been since November 2nd, 2023. She is the most faithful, strong, resourceful and caring person I have the honor of looking up to. Please continue to pray for her. Please pray that she have peace of mind and endurance.

The story:

The state of dad’s health leaves us feeling mournful, heavy hearted, joyless & melancholic. It was a case of Sepsis. He was airlifted to Duluth hospital to be cared for by specialists. The trauma that his body had already been through, forced his system to suffer multiple organ failure. While he was on life support, hooked up to a ventilator, Doctors were preparing us to say goodbye due to the severity of the situation.

Dad fought and fought. He was making so much progress that the nurses and doctors were amazed. Speaking, holding conversation, laughing, feeding tubes were removed, standing up and getting to the restroom with assistance…. We had even begun discussing his transitional care out of the hospital. We finally began to see a glimmer of light in our lives again…. Until suddenly that progress came to a screeching halt & began a decline towards something we couldn’t have ever imagined.

Right now the latest “diagnosis” we have been given is “Leukoencephalopathy” It basically means: “Injury to the White Matter of the Brain” 

The unsettling part of this, is that the doctors have no idea how to proceed. There are “too many variables” that play into his entire case since being admitted to the hospital to give him a prognosis for his quality of life. This is more than likely due to a rare reaction to antibiotics he was given in the beginning for sepsis. Which means this could’ve been avoided, and that shatters our hearts. 

The damage/injury in his brain sits right where the cognitive abilities are controlled. So the best way to explain the symptoms, is almost as if he is in an awakened coma. 100% non verbal, meaning he can’t communicate anything. He can really only move his arms & his hands. He can still recognize people, faces and voices. Which is why voicemails, visits from friends and music are the best things for him right now. Anything to keep his brain stimulated and active. However he is completely disabled in every way. We are told that his recovery is unknown and he may never make a recovery at all. His life moving forward (as we know right now) will be in a facility where they can help him with occupational therapy.

 This puts an immense emotional, financial and psychological burden on my mother as she now has to learn to live a new way of life without any financial assistance, answers to WHY or even a prognosis for Michael’s quality of life. If you ask how we are doing….. we are struggling to be positive. We are not okay. Everyday feels like it gets harder to press on. The physiological pain turns to physical pain and tears are shed every single day. I mean it when I say that my mom is holding the weight of her entire world on her tired shoulders, without an end to this in sight and without a reason even as to why. Please remember to say a prayer for her when you think about my dad, because there is no one more deserving of a little help right now, than her.