Hi my name is Doris Thompson and I am helping with a fundraiser for a dear family friend and his family.

Over the Memorial Day weekend while vacationing with his family, our good friend Robert Lorenzana, 49 years young, suffered a severe stroke. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and then flown by helicopter to Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix. He was unconscious for 5 days and in the Neuro ICU for 7 days. On June 11th, he underwent a heart surgery to close a PFO (hole in his heart) which allowed multiple clots to go to his brain which allowed the stroke to happen. After spending 16 days in the Hospital, he was transferred to the Acute Rehabilitation Center at St. Joseph’s, where he spent 6 weeks beginning his recovery.

Robert has now returned home for an arduous regimen of physical, occupational and speech therapies. While this is undoubtedly a momentous achievement in and of itself, he still has a long hard road ahead of him and requires 24/7 supervision and assistance due to the stroke on his cognition, vision, and balance. While many of expenses are covered by insurance, Vision Therapy and Home Caregiver Assistance are not.

Vision Therapy will help him return to as much of a normal life as possible, it will allow him those special moments we all cherish like playing catch in the backyard with his young daughters Avery & Addi to see their smiling faces as they make their way through the world, wipe a tear from their eye or look them in their eyes and tell them he loves them. The Home Caregiver allows his wife Erin, to work and maintain her job so that she can provide for the family, now on one income.

We all know Robert & Erin to be very hard-working, determined people. They have unselfishly given back to their community wanting nothing in return. They are the helpers, not those who ask for help. Starting with Robert’s time at Make A Wish, to volunteering time for many other worthy causes are who they are.

This process has been catastrophic for them as a family and asking for help is hard for them. I’m sure we all understand.

Please help if you can, even the smallest amount will help Robert overcome vision impairments, cover out-of-pocket costs for the necessary caregiver and help a family regain their loving father and a valuable member of the community. Every little bit helps Robert achieve his goals and those of us who know him, have no doubt he will achieve those goals regardless of the obstacles.