Andrew Eastaugh Recovery Fund

At 2 a.m. on Thursday, December 8th, Andrew Eastaugh walked through the house making sure it was secure and ready for the coldest night of the year. He had just checked that his 8-year-old son’s Elf on the Shelf made it safely to his next destination when suddenly his legs “stopped working.” He fell to the floor in the entry hall and spent the next couple of hours crawling toward the closed door to the bedroom where his wife was sleeping. He made it about halfway before he stopped from exhaustion. At 7 a.m. his wife woke and wondered why he wasn’t in bed, thinking he probably fell asleep in the living room chair again. How wrong she was.

Andrew had suffered a stroke centered in the right side of his brain at the basal ganglia. He was immediately rushed via ambulance to Baylor Grapevine Hospital. The bleed was large and he now suffers from left side weakness, loss of sensation and slurred speech. His cognitive function is completely normal, and his personality is thankfully unchanged. It could have been much worse.

A few days after Christmas, he was transferred to Baylor Institute of Rehabilitation in Dallas to begin intensive rehabilitation we hope will restore his physical strength and clear up his speech problems. We have been told it will be a long recovery. 

While it is never a good time to have a health crisis this one struck at a particularly cruel time; the day before his 16th wedding anniversary, 2 ½ weeks before Christmas and 3 ½ weeks from the start date of his new job. Andrew has been doing short-term contracts for a while now as he searched for his next full-time, permanent job. He had found a great position that was due to start on January 3rd. Since he has been contracting not only does he not get paid while he’s incapacitated, he has no short- or long-term disability coverage. His recovery time is a mystery at this point, and the new job has now slipped through his fingers. We have no idea when he might walk again, let alone work.

Since this has happened at the end of 2016, his family will be responsible for “maximum out of pocket” expenses for both this year and 2017, totaling $11,000 within the next six weeks. Luckily he is covered on his wife’s insurance, but without his income his family will face severe financial hardship keeping the mortgage and medical bills paid in the very near future.

To help with these unexpected costs and to alleviate some of the burden for the family, we have started this GoFundMe page for those who have expressed a sincere desire to help. All donations will be used to pay medical bills, specialized equipment that may be needed, and help with the mortgage. If you cannot contribute please send your best wishes to the family, as they are sorely needed at this difficult time.