Help for Gary Shallenberger and his family.

Hi Friends,

Our friend Pete Ens and I have come together to help our dear friend Gary Shallenberger and his family in the wake of this medical emergency. Gary, Christy, and Mitchell will need all the help and prayers that we can give them. If anyone truly knows this family then you know that they will do anything for anybody. This a what Christy wrote the first night in the hospital, and sums it up better than I can.

On Monday October 25th, Gary suffered a massive brain bleed in the front to center right of his brain. I was in the Champaign office for work (one of the few days not teleworking since the pandemic) and Mitchell found him on the kitchen floor at 12:52pm having tremors and not fully making sense. We called 911 and have been in Carle ICU since. He is currently stable but he is not out of the woods. They are watching him for deterioration in which case he will be rushed into emergency neurosurgery in an attempt to save his life. He has been pretty stable since we arrived. He is mostly cognitively aware and answers all of the hourly Neuro questions as he should. He slips in and out of reality about where he is physically located when not being asked his questions. During his questioning he tells them usually that he is in hell and they ask where and he says Carle. So he still gives the nurse's sass and they are starting to know what a character is. He is fully paralyzed on his left side from his eye to his toes. I’m sorry for those just finding out about this but it is too hard for me to remember who I’ve texted in who I haven’t. We appreciate those who have offered and have helped us. Mitchell is understandably upset being the first person on the scene. But he acted very maturely and jumped into action to help his dad and clear the drive of vehicles so the emergency responders could arrive. Please keep all of us in your prayers. Pray hard and often. Gary is only 54 and has a lot more to do in this life!

As of today, Gary has been moved from ICU to advanced care and was able to have hot chocolate and nilla wafers for his snack. Christy is doing a fabulous job keeping us updated on her Facebook page.

Since Gary is self-employed, his income immediately stopped. Not knowing what the future holds for Gary, there will likely be unforeseen expenses. If you can help this wonderful family through this difficult time, they will be forever grateful.

Thank you,

Pete, and Marty