Hello there. My name is Amanda Bullard Batton. I'm from Virginia Beach, VA born and raised. Child of God, wife, mama, daughter, friend, sunrise lover, hair stylist, singer of random lyrics and now I have unexpectedly acquired the role of care giver for my husband Steve as he suffered a stroke on 7/12/2024.

I saw a quote recently that said, "I like to say that there are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers." - Rosalyn Carter

I am now living that reality.

Because. Life.

I never thought I would be constructing a "GoFundMe". Ever. But here I am. Because I am in true need. (To cover needs.)

I have been praying about and debating whether or not to do this but it was recommended to me by a couple people I respect. To be honest I felt such shame and embarrassment.

They asked me, "Have you ever donated or helped someone for any reason?" Emphatically I replied, "Yes, of course I have!!" The message clicked... Amanda, humble yourself and just do it. One of the individuals reminded me (us) that we need community and others and if we fail to share the need, 1) People won't know it's even a thing, 2) You rob folks the opportunity of being a blessing.

Backstory:

On Friday, 7/12/2024 Steve was driving Uber per usual. That was his full time job in our current season. I did something I NEVER do that day which was call and offer to bring food. I had gone through the Chick Fil A drive thru and they threw in a complimentary chicken biscuit so I figured he might enjoy it. This was around 11:00 am. He told me he was in Portsmouth, so I hopped on the interstate to meet him. Looking back (because hindsight is 20/20 or at least close) I can recognize signs that he had most likely already had the stroke. Due to the amount of hours he had been driving, I assumed he was simply beyond tired and worn out. He even said he just felt really tired. I suggested he go home and rest before our church's Night of Worship which I was set to participate in which started at 7:00pm.

When he entered the sanctuary at church, I couldn't help but notice something just wasn't quite right. I was concerned but tried not to freak out or catastrophize. He opted to sit in the back which is completely opposite of what he normally does. He loves to be up front!

I checked on him 3-4 times before joining the praise team on the platform to suggest we leave early. As his doctor so eloquently put it, "Stubbornness comes with the Y chromosome but this guy has more than most." Suffice it to say, he did not want to leave. He said, "No. I'm fine. I think I just need sleep and I might have an infected tooth. We don't need to leave. I want you to sing. I love when you sing. I'll be ok." Had I known this was disorientation from the stroke I would not have taken NO for an answer, but I was not aware.

After the worship night was over, I took my son home with Steve in tow and told him I could not in good conscience take him home (although once more he tried to convince me he would be fine if he could just get some good sleep.) I persisted with my concern that my typically jubilant, bright eyed and bushy tailed husband must go to the hospital because he was making President Biden look "athletic" given his current state. We had a good laugh (which made me happy and helped ease the stress) and headed to the ER. Miraculously, it was a quick intake process. I wasn't expecting that at 9, 9:30 on a Friday night.

He was admitted and we ended up staying until Monday around noon.

We have been told by a couple medical professionals how truly fortunate Steve was. When we think of when the stroke most likely occurred to the time of treatment, his symptoms "should have" been worse. We praise God and celebrate that, truly!! Each day that passes I am reminded how blessed I am to still have him here with most of his personality and relative strength intact.

Due to the type of stroke he had, he has a diminished field of vision in his right peripheral, cannot read, cannot drive, and has cognitive struggles.

Enter this crowdfunding campaign and plea for help.

He cannot currently work. Losing his income is major as I do not make enough money to cover all expenses. I am so lucky to have the ability to be pretty flexible with my hours. As stated above, I am a hairstylist. I serve THE BEST and KINDEST people in the area. They are understanding of the situation, but reality is I have a job to do and if I lose clients while tending to my husband's health needs, that will create a whole new subset of problems.

I have no idea how long it will take for Steve to heal nor do I know to what capacity. We are praying and believing for the best!!

All I know is my primary goal right now is to do all I can to help him reach that goal.

I have a large list of "things to do" that I never had before and am working one day at a time to tackle those while maintaining peace in my heart and spirit.

One of those things is to check out what may be available through social security disability. As we know that is a long and arduous process and I am in need now. I don't have the means to wait for that to "kick in" (if we're even approved), nor do I think that would be enough to cover our needs. That's all I'm trying to do- cover needs and unexpected expenditures.

I thank you for taking time to read this.

We appreciate your thoughts, prayers, and gifts.

No amount is too small.

"Little is much when God is in it."

"Many hands make the load light."