Farmer Bob Project

My name is Paden, and I am the only daughter and child of Bob Schmidt. I am 26 years old and I am writing to you with the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Many people in our community know of Bob, who runs Maple Lane Farms in Greenback, TN. Over the past 30 years, my father and Maple Lane Farms have become more than just providers of fresh foods to our community, we have become inseparable from the character and culture of East Tennessee.

On March 22, 2016, my life was forever changed when I received the message:  “Your Dad is going to the Hospital.”

After many tests, doctors, and even a transfer of hospitals, we found out that my dad suffered from both an ischemic stroke and a hemorrhagic stroke. For the past week, we have been on a roller coaster going back and forth between improvement and deterioration.

Right now, my dad has hit a plateau in his healing--he’s not getting better or worse. Science is showing us that he will never be able to communicate/speak, eat/swallow, or breathe without assistance…and that he will most likely be bedridden for the rest of his life.

My dad, Bob, has been a farmer his whole life. Even recently, we had set some big goals for the farm with the hope that we would have our biggest season yet, which would help us get ahead financially.

Most importantly, largely due to his work, Bob has not had health insurance to cover an emergency situation like the one we’re facing today.

As we move forward with our decisions about Bob’s care, we ask for any support our friends, family, and community can give to assist with bills that increase by the day.