In the spring of 2025, my wife Heather experienced a rapid decline in her health. For the past year she’s been light-headed, frequently nauseous, and noticeably having memory issues. Doctor visits didn’t reveal a root cause to her symptoms. Fast forward to April when I rushed her to the emergency room. She’s been diagnosed with vitamin B1 deficiency that has caused encephalopathy. Her brain has atrophied, which is the root cause of her symptoms listed.

She is permanently disabled. She can’t walk unassisted. She needs help taking care of her daily needs. The confabulation that’s a part of this type of dementia is heartbreaking. Past memories, events in the news, and reality all blur together in her mind. She’s unfortunately aware that something is wrong with her, but doesn’t understand enough to make sense of what’s going on. I feel like we’re living “The Notebook” without the happy parts.

Financially this has placed a huge burden on us. Anything you can do to assist us through this would be greatly appreciated.

Above all, while I wouldn’t want anyone to ever go through this, I am blessed to be spending a lot of extra time with my wife over the past few months as I take care of her. Keep us in your prayers. Thank you to friends and family who have reached out to me and given me support. Those conversations mean more to me than I could ever express.