Hi,

My son, Codey, a student at Old Dominion University, aspiring to be a neurosurgeon, fell down a flight of stairs in the early morning hours on Monday, October 9, 2023, just three short days after his 22nd birthday. He was found unresponsive, at the bottom of the stairs, by one of his fraternity brothers and roommate. EMS was dispatched at approximately 2:30am and rushed him to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital where we have learned that Codey suffered multiple fractures to his right temple causing bleeding and swelling in the brain as well as right, lower facial paralysis and damage to his right hearing organ. He has been diagnosed with having a severe traumatic brain injury and is comatose.

ICU nurses and doctors are watching him around the clock, giving needed medications, performing vital exams to monitor his condition, as well as taking him for CT scans of his head every few hours. Because the nurses and doctors are so attentive here, his night shift Nurse, Maggi, was able to identify a minuscule change in Codey’s responsiveness that led her to request another CT scan immediately. That scan revealed new bleeding and excessive swelling in the brain that required immediate intervention. That intervention was decided to be surgical. So, on Wednesday, Codey had surgery to remove the right side of his skull to allow his brain to swell and heal. During surgery, the neurosurgeon also removed a blood clot between his brain and skull. He was able to stop some additional bleeding as well. On average, before insurance, this type of surgery costs approximately $70,000 alone and this is just the beginning on an extremely long journey to Codey’s full recovery, which is one of many reasons we are asking for monetary help to assist with some of the financial burdens from medical bills that will soon start piling up.

Although Dad, Bonus Dad and I live over two hours from this amazing hospital, we have been by Codey’s side around the clock since getting the worst call of our lives: the call informing us of Codey’s condition upon arrival to the ICU (coma, traumatic brain injury, etc).

While life must continue around us, I will be taking an indefinite amount of time away from work to remain by Codey’s side 24/7. This alone is going to cause a hefty financial strain for the family.

Some of the expenses to stay with Codey include: $35/nightly to stay in a guest room at the hospital where you have a place to go if you need a few minutes of privacy, a nap, to change or clean yourself up. There is a cafeteria where food can be purchased and range in prices just as if you were eating out at a normal fast food or dining restaurant. As you can imagine, having to purchase all meals can become expensive. There is also the added expense of travel for Dad and Bonus Dad as they will not be able to stay the entire time and will need to travel to and from their home area (2+ hours away) several times per week. I also have two younger children (age 9 and 3 years old) that are already missing me very much and will need to be able to visit with me frequently and may have times where a hotel for the weekend would be necessary to allow for that.

If you are able to donate, we will be eternally grateful. If you are not able to donate, you can still help out tremendously by simply sharing the fund raiser and praying for Codey and our entire family during this difficult time. Thank you and God bless.

Tabetha