Go Fund Griff Fight Guillain-Barré

Kyle Griffin (Griff) is the type of man that will give the shirt off his back and lend a helping hand or listening ear to anyone and everyone he meets. Griff is the friend/brother/random stranger that anyone would be lucky to have in their corner. He has always fought for the people he loves and stood up for those who can’t fight for themselves. Griff is also the last person to ask for help, but he needs our support now more than ever.

A few months ago, Griff and his lovely girlfriend Mary Kate (MK) went down to Mexico for a close friend’s wedding. While there, they both contracted the norovirus. This is a common illness that many experience, and maybe even some of you reading this are familiar with. This virus is vicious, but usually short-lived and out of one’s system within 48-72 hours. However, for a very rare few, this virus can give rise to a traumatic autoimmune disease known as Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). The cause of GBS is unknown, but it is usually brought on by a respiratory or gastrointestinal infection like the norovirus Griff contracted in Mexico. GBS is a rare disorder in which your immune system attacks your nerves. This starts with numbness and a tingling sensation in the hands and feet. Within days, if not hours, you can become fully paralyzed. In the most severe cases, this can become a life-threatening medical emergency where the victims of GBS need to be placed on intubation and various forms of life support while their body fights the disease. This frightening picture I am attempting to paint is exactly what has happened to our beloved friend Griff.

Three to four weeks after Griff and MK got back from Mexico, Griff started feeling the aforementioned numbness and tingling sensation in his left arm and leg. Within 36 hours, Griff was admitted to the hospital and became fully paralyzed from the shoulders down. Upon being admitted to the hospital, his condition quickly deteriorated forcing Griff to be placed in the ICU. During his time in the ICU, Griff was intubated and placed on life support, while his body battled paralysis, pneumonia, the flu, blood clots, and a myriad of other complications caused by GBS.

Thankfully, Griff has recently improved. While he is still paralyzed from the shoulders down, he has regained feeling in most of his body. He has finally been discharged from the ICU and begun his long-extended stay in a rehabilitation center. Griff’s road to recovery will be a very long and arduous process. The nerve damage that GBS causes can take multiple years to fully heal. During his rehabilitation, Griff will need to retrain his atrophied leg muscles and learn how to walk again. He will need time to allow his nerves to fully recover. This process is akin to starting from scratch and will require rigorous discipline and determination.

This is where we come in! On this page, you will see that we have placed a goal of raising $100k. That is the minimum amount we are going for. The hospital bills, insurance claims, and rehab facility costs are going to be a mountain of stress and anxiety for Griff and his loved ones. As Griff focuses on the mental and physical fight ahead, we need to do our part. Together, we can assist in the financial struggles that accompany this tragedy. If you have the means, please donate! Whether it’s a couple of dollars or a few hundred, if you know Griff you know he is more than deserving. Whether or not you donate, please use your network and share Griff’s story. Inform your friends, family, colleagues, and anyone that they know. If money is the only way we can help our brother, then let’s raise as much as we can and blow our goal out of the water. We all know Griff would do the same for us!