Financial Hardship from Assault

For those who might not be aware my husband, Reynolds Reeves Jr., is a Master Detention Deputy at the Al Cannon Detention Center. So, with him being a correction officer he deals with inmates on a regular basis. He has worked there for almost 6 years at this point. During his time, he has not had any incidents that would have caused any harm to him or others. Unfortunately, last month on Friday August 4th, everything changed. I received a call that would change everything for myself as well as my husband.

A little after midnight Rey (Reynolds) was assaulted by an inmate at the correctional facility he works at. There is a video showing the assault and it's very clear that in no way did my husband provoke or encourage this attack. He tried to prevent it as well as he could but, in the end, he was brutally assaulted. The inmate pushed Rey multiple times to the point he hit the wall and the floor. At which time he was then hit with blows to the head to the extent my husband was dazed and in a vegetated state. Then to make matters worse he was literally stomped in the head against the concrete flooring.

Between the assault and the hospital, Rey became unconscious and had a seizure. By the time I got to the hospital (a road deputy came and picked me up at home) he was awake with a neck brace on and no recollection of the incident. All that could be recalled was the inmate forcing the door open and him falling to the floor. He could not remember anything else and was confused about being in the hospital. I tried to make light of the situation because I didn't want him to see the worry and concern, I had for him. I told Rey, "When I said to have fun at work this was not what I meant by no means". He gave a little chuckle, but it never reached his eyes. I knew at the moment that this journey was going to be hard and long.

Hoping and praying for a quick recovery was my dream, however; the nightmare would soon set in on the hardship we were to face. To say Rey was hurt is an understatement. The severity of the injuries literally tore me up. My sometimes-goofy pain in the butt husband was gone and I wasn't sure if or when I will get him back.

Currently, it is believed that Rey is suffering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the following permanent injuries:

1. Loss of hearing. Left side is where he took the most blows as well as the forced stomp, which left a shoe imprint on his head and neck behind the ear.

2. Limited use of his shoulder. He can't lift his arm above chest high.

3. No recollection of the incident - Long Term Memory Loss.

4. Loss of motor function - inability to drive and walk. He has to hold on to something to assist in walking.

5. Significant dizziness and loss of control of his balance. He has fallen multiple times.

6. Cannot even remember what he ate for breakfast or walked into a room for - Short Term Memory Loss.

7. Neck & Back Pain. He becomes very stiff and makes it hard to move even while lying in bed.

The blows to his head match up with damage to the following regions of the brain:

1. Temporal - problems with short term - long term memory loss.

2. Temporal (Auditory cortex) - Hearing.

2. Cerebellum - Difficult walking / balance.

3. Occipital - blind spots, blurred vision.

With all this he has very bad persistent headaches. He spends the majority of his time in bed sleeping. Even though he sleeps 10-16 hours at a time it is not restful sleep at all. There are times he has very fitful sleep and I have to calmly bring him back to an alert state, so he doesn't end up hurting himself or falling out of the bed. If you ask him what he may have been dreaming about he cannot recall even when he laid down. The loss of memory recall has been very difficult because I have to make sure that he takes his meds. He has other medical conditions that he is medicated for, (Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, and coronary artery disease) and I have to make sure those are still well maintained during this hard time.

As you can imagine I have had to stay vigilant to my husband's care which means I have not been able to work very much due to not leaving him unattended. With that being said it has been quite difficult to keep bills afloat. So even though he is on Workmen's Compensation, it still doesn't provide enough to keep it all going. So, between transporting him to multiple doctors and maintaining his care I barely have time to sleep, let alone work. Of course, I can only go out to work if there is someone at the house with him. I still fear that something will happen, and I wouldn't be there to take care of the situation or prevent it from happening. We have stairs so with his balance and dizzy spells I have to help him on the steps or get what he needs from downstairs and bring it up to him.

It was already a tough year to start with from the passing of my father, Rey's mother, my aunt (dad's sister), Our granddaughter (which our daughter is still grieving that loss and will always be), and the loss of my goddaughter's grandmother (Who I grew up around). So, the first half of the year was already a struggle and heartache but now it has even gotten more difficult, and we are trying to find the light to this dark tunnel.

Going forth I am trying to manage everything on my plate and support my husband's recovery. I am staying as positive as possible for Rey, even if the outlook is grim at times. As the vows we shared stated, for better or worse, through sickness and health, until death do us part. I will stand and keep going as hard as it is. We would like to ask those that can help in any way possible to please assist us in this journey. We appreciate any and all help that can be provided. I don't want to get further in debt and lose our cars or apartment in the process. We were just notified that our rent is going up again. We are under new management, and they have built onto the complex, so they are raising the rent. Thank you to all that take the time to read this, it is hard for me to sit and write it all down.

I will post updates going forward. Right now, Rey has a neurologist appointment next week and a neuropsychologist appointment next month. We are waiting on further information of physical therapy. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Kandace Lewis-Reeves