Dave's Double Jeopardy

It is a gift in my life to have Holly Hunsicker Kutta as a friend, on my team. She’s supportive, nonjudgmental, honest and funny—a really good friend.

So it was without hesitation that I started this GoFundMe when she called to tell me what's been going on and asked me to write it. Holly and Dave are experiencing an avalanche of daunting health issues that seem beyond their years, and they're facing too many bills to cover. “I feel like we don’t need anything,” Holly says, “but really we do.”

Here's what's been going down...

The Mini-Stroke

It happened March 28, 2019. Dave was at work when he started experiencing double vision. He felt like something was way wrong with his eye, it was stuck looking off to the left. It stayed in that whacked position for ten days.

He was admitted into the hospital for the first five days. They gave him an eye patch to wear. “There was lots of 'Yarrr matey!' sh*t going on,” Holly added, laughing. There are still minor issues here and there with double vision, but otherwise they have gotten through the last three years ok, and just finished paying off those bills.

Now this.

The Bell’s Palsy

Holly says this one came on fast. They woke up January 7, 2022 to a runny-eyed Dave. It looked like a stinky case of pinkeye, but by mid-afternoon, he was slurring speech and his face had become frozen.

Dave was at work when his face froze. Coworkers immediately delivered him home so Holly could take him to the ER. She thought he was having another stroke. The hospital was “crazy with corona” so they wouldn’t let her in, but took Dave quickly. They kept him only a couple hours, running tests all rushed to protect him from COVID exposure. They discovered through a blood test that he wasn’t suffering another stroke, but the less severe Bell’s Palsy. “PHEW!” Holly said, “but also, SH*T!”

Meanwhile, A Wrecked Spine

As you all know, our girl Holly walks around with a cane and has for years. 18 years ago she experienced a back injury that tore the nerves and muscles away from an area in her thoracic spine. The pain is a constant thing, and it travels all over her body. Holly has never complained about this and has never even told me these details before now.

Holly’s body is not fixable, but Dave’s is with some help. With rehab, Dave can regain the ability to speak and eat normally again. Awesome! The prognosis for Bell’s Palsy is good. Dave should regain full movement in his face over time; when is not known, however he was able to return to work by January 12.

So Basically…

This GoFundMe is about helping Holly and Dave get financially on top of these really challenging times while Dave gets through rehab and back to health. They’re facing seven appointments over the next seven weeks, so things feel URGENT.

I humbly ask that you share this link with friends and family, and if possible, in giving (ANY amount will help). “$2500 would make a world of difference,” Holly says. “It would give us a cushion on rent. I would pay that ahead and then other bills that come in could be paid right away so we’re not stressing about both.”

As an aside she told me, “We just want to keep the lights on, basically.”

I’ll be posting updates to let you know how Dave is doing. He's starting speech therapy in the near future, and has started practicing with Holly already, “Peter Piper picked a pack of peppers…”

Thank you so much for reading this, and any help you can give,

Beth Miller