A Navy Veteran's Desperate Fight to Keep the Lifeline Caregiver for His Disabled Wife

Hello, my name is Dale Asher. I’m a proud Navy veteran, living with chronic PTSD. But this isn’t my story it’s my wife’s. The woman who stood by me through the darkest storms, who sacrificed everything to support me and our family. Now, I find myself in a battle I never thought I’d have to fight: trying to save the one person who’s keeping her alive in spirit.

The Day Everything Changed

On December 19th, 2020, I came home from work expecting a normal evening. But when I walked into our bedroom, I found my wife lying motionless on the floor. A massive stroke had stolen her life as we knew it. She couldn’t walk. She couldn’t speak. Her independence her very essence was gone in an instant.

What followed was an endless journey through physical therapy and fleeting moments of hope. For a time, we believed there was progress. She could move with the help of a walker. But just when we dared to believe she might recover, life had other plans.

A Fall That Shattered More Than Her Hip

On April 8th, 2021, as she tried to make her way to the bathroom, her walker betrayed her. She fell. Hard. The impact shattered her left hip. The doctors were able to repair it with plates and screws, but the damage didn’t stop there. The pain never stopped. Her hip, though "healed," still screams at her every day with the agony of severe osteoarthritis. I watch her struggle just to shift in her wheelchair. She cries in pain. And no matter how much we try medication, therapy, alternative treatments nothing gives her relief.

But it didn’t end there.

Seizures. Emergency Rooms. Silent Battles.

In April 2022, I got another call that turned my world upside down. My wife had suffered a seizure. By the time I reached the hospital, she had endured another one. The doctors found that an electrolyte imbalance was to blame, and while they stabilized her, each seizure felt like another piece of her soul slipping away, leaving me helpless.

Our Caregiver: A Blessing in the Dark

In the midst of all this, we were given one gift our caregiver. He’s more than just a person who helps her; he’s a lifeline. A compassionate soul who sees her as more than a patient. He helps her bathe with dignity. He makes her laugh when the world feels so heavy. He wipes her tears, and in doing so, he gives me the ability to breathe, to sleep, to function without constant fear.

But now, we face losing him.

Our savings are gone. We’ve maxed out loans, and the bills keep coming. Our world has become a constant struggle to make ends meet, and yet, no matter how hard I try, I can’t carry this burden alone anymore.

Why We Need You?

This isn’t about luxury. This isn’t about extras. This is about the bare minimum the basic human dignity every person deserves. My wife, who spent her life caring for others, now needs someone to care for her. Someone to help her bathe. Someone to talk to her. Someone to comfort her when she cries.

We are asking for your help, not for a miracle, but for a lifeline. Every dollar you donate goes directly to paying our caregiver. Every $5 buys us another hour of peace. Every $100 buys us another day of safety and comfort.

A Veteran’s Heart: I Need You

I’ve fought in foreign lands. I’ve lived with the sounds of war echoing in my mind. But nothing, absolutely nothing, has broken me like watching my wife—the woman who gave everything for me and for us slowly fade away, powerless to stop it.

This is my fight now. And I can’t fight it alone. I need you in this with me. If you’re reading this, I believe it’s because you understand pain. You know what it’s like to love someone deeply and to see them suffer. You know what it feels like to want to help but to feel powerless.

Please, help me keep our caregiver. Help me not fail the woman who has never failed me.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Dale Asher