On January 7th Howie Anderson fell to his knees. Friends rushed him to the Veterans Administration Hospital, in Washington DC where he was diagnosed that he had had a stroke. Subsequent tests have shown that he'd had several strokes and had severe damage to his heart.

It was discovered that Howie has experienced an ischemic stroke partially due to an underlying heart problem and the approaching anniversary of the passing of his life partner, Mary. The stroke is affecting multiple parts of his body - memory, speech, vision, and balance. He is in the beginning stages of getting treatment, which is in the assessment stage to find which treatments will be beneficial to his rehabilitation. As is common in this type of stroke he is experiencing a mixture of expressive and receptive aphasia which affects his speech and motor skills. His loss of memory and difficulty to form new memory is very frustrating and depressing for him.

He was to start receiving physical, occupational, and speech therapy but progress has been slow due to the Coronavirus pandemic that has taken precedence with the medical community.

His family, friends, and neighbors are praying for a speedy recovery from the stroke. His family suggested starting this GoFundMe page to raise money for paying for his bills until he can make it on his own. Howie is back in his own home and is adjusting to his new way of living. Friends and neighbors are with him daily to help him with his needs. He's always been a strong person, a generous man, a loving brother, a mentor uncle, and the best neighbor one could ever want. Through determination, combined with love, prayers & miracles, he's going to be able to return to a productive life. Howie has lost his ability to work and will not be able to for the foreseeable future. He has received some financial assistance from family and friends but is still in financial hardship. His home of 25 years is being foreclosed on and all of his utilities are in danger of being shut off. He can't drive and relies on friends and public transportation (bus, metro) to get to his doctor's appointments and for groceries.

His doctors have indicated this could be a long process, possibly years before Howie will be able to work again. As you can imagine, this will be a financially challenging time until he can regain his abilities. He's been selling any possession of value just to meet his financial obligations.

Howie has been a model for his community, a great neighbor, and a friend to many. He's never hesitated to help a neighbor or friend regardless of the task. For several years he helped my brother as his multiple sclerosis continued his deterioration. Howie would take him to the park, do his shopping and help him maintain his mental health. He's traveled the world through his profession as a telecommunication technician. During his travels, he used his personal time to help others. Using his own money he did what he called "Project Smile" where he would buy hundreds of toothbrushes and toothpaste to give to the less fortunate. While working in Africa it was not uncommon for Howard to spend his entire living budget on food for the villages he'd pass through on the way to the job site. He spent his own time and money working with donors to create wells and freshwater sources for these same villages. One day I was watching the news on a day when we had flooding. I have to say I wasn't surprised when I saw him being interviewed for pulling numerous people out of the ditches to safety! He's always been a humble man and has never asked for help from others. He's always been a "pay it forward" guy. I'd like to ask you for help now because he deserves all the help he can get.

Your generous support will help Howie pay medical bills, help him rehabilitate to reenter the workforce, and allow him to stay in his home through future surgeries and recovery.