Help Don beat paralysis!

First of all, allow me to thank you for taking a moment of your time and recognizing that somebody needs assistance. If you have come this far, I’d be honored to introduce myself and the recipient of this fundraiser. I’m Nina, Dons fiancé and mother to his son, Arlo. Don has suffered a rare condition with a sudden onset known as transverse myelitis along with Paralysis. Please allow me to tell you about Dons' unexpected medical journey so far.           This is a picture of our little family on Christmas Eve 2021. Looking back on this picture today, I can see in his eyes that he had something neurological happening that we didn’t even recognize yet. By this time, he was unable to urinate, not able to have bowel movements, was extremely cold yet sweating profusely, had nonretractable headaches and was vomiting with uncontrollable hiccups. Negative for Covid twice and no answers. He presented flu-like symptoms starting on December 15 but had no resolve with any medication and had two trips to the emergency room to be sent home with a Foley catheter in his bladder. The emergency room said that he had an enlarged prostate and to follow up with a urologist after the holidays. He woke up Christmas Morning paralyzed from the waist down with numbness moving into his upper extremities. We were then worried about a possible stroke and rushed him back to the emergency room. Don was then admitted into the hospital where he received an MRI to clear for a spinal tap. The MRI showed a lesion and inflammation in his spinal cord in his cervical spine causing paralysis from the waist down and muscle weakness from the neck down. it was determined that he had some type of a infection in his spinal cord and received five rounds of Plasmapheresis to try to restore healthy cells back into the cervical spine.         The plasmapheresis was successful along with high-dose steroids do you calm the inflammation, but unfortunately the residual side effect is paralysis. The only diagnosis the physicians have been able to make so far is a rare neurological condition known as transverse myelitis along with paralysis. It is a rare condition that attacks the central nervous system and paralyzes the patient. They do not have control over their bowel or urinary function, and usually require extensive rehabilitation.         Don has been an acute rehab for a little over two weeks, and has been making great strides to gain his muscle tone and muscle stimulation back. He is still a full lift, full assist but it’s starting to have the ability to transfer on a board to and from a wheelchair. He only has a few more days left in this facility and without insurance or the proper funding he would be discharged home without proper physical therapy. Don really needs to still be in an acute rehab facility. Update: as of February 4, 2022, Don is still in acute rehab at Saint Charles hospital but has had amazing progress with his rehabilitation! We are still in the search of a skilled nursing facility to continue his rehabilitation, it has been quite difficult since there is not much availability in the area and many skilled nursing facilities are at full capacity. It is our hope that he can continue on with rehabilitation and we are very grateful to the mercy health system because they have been so incredibly accommodating and very helpful!        Any funding received he will use towards transportation, personal needs due to his medical diagnosis and will further his physical therapy needs out-of-pocket. He is INCREDIBLY grateful for everyone That has reached out to him, sent prayers and gifts and lots of beef jerky! We truly appreciate all the positivity, it really helps in the healing process! Update: 5/19/2022 Don is getting ready to graduate to outpatient rehabilitation from home rehabilitation to continue his journey to walking again.  He has been following his neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic and they found a rare protein called G-FAP in my spinal fluid so he is also following up with an oncologist for PET scan and several other tests. Don would like to thank everyone that has been so supportive financially AND mentally. It’s really helped him with this journey back to health.  We will do further updates as results come in. THANK YOU!!