Help Brook's Family

My father, Brook Smith, had a nosebleed on September 6th, 2022. What started as a simple nosebleed after 16 hours escalated to respiratory failure and fighting for his life while needing mechanical ventilation, several units of blood and plasma. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions for the whole family as his health declined but showed signs of improvement in the following days, and the process would repeat and continues to be a vicious cycle. After hurricane Ian, they transferred my dad to an ICU unit at Mercy hospital in Miami because Healthpark Medical Center the hospital where he was being cared for before was under a boil water notice. He stayed in the ICU for another 12 days on the Ventilator before being transferred from Mercy to a long-term acute care facility in Coral Gables. It has been an ongoing battle for him to be transferred home based on his condition and other contributing factors, such as a bill we can not afford and no beds available in Fort Myers. Gas, hotel, and food expenses are too much for my family, so we have not been able to see him as often as he needs, and it has not allowed us to stay on top of his medical care. The whole situation has been extremely difficult for us all.

My dad struggled with alcoholism; it was an ongoing battle and he showed signs of depression starting when he lost my grandparents and he would recover and relapse; he never wanted people to know he was struggling. My dad tried his best to keep things hidden from everybody, and it was clear how badly he struggled with his addiction when he was admitted to the hospital. He has cirrhosis of the liver and metabolic encephalopathy, which caused his issues to progress into something we aren't sure of the outcome. He is unable to communicate or move his body below the neck. He has also developed atrophy from long-term hospitalization, which will require long-term physical therapy if he recovers.

My dad Brook was the type of person who always tried to put a smile on your face or make you laugh. He has a kind heart, always looks out for people to the best of his abilities, and puts his family before everything. He loves with his whole heart and is not afraid to show it. After every phone call and kiss goodnight, he always said he loved us and ensured we knew he was proud of us. I will forever cherish these memories of my father, the good and the bad, because I know he loved my brothers, his grandchild and the rest of my family.

My dad doesn't have a voice based on the current state of his encephalopathy, which has progressed to where he can not communicate or understand what is going on and needs someone to advocate for him. My whole family will greatly appreciate any donations, thoughts and prayers. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

The Smith Family