Help Rob Alford and Family Through This Tough Time

Hello everyone!

Where do I even start? I will try to keep this short and sweet.

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Zach Ellis. Growing up, my Uncle Rob and Aunt Lisa’s house was always the place for my family to gather for parties, holidays, bbqs, Bird’s games, and Super Bowls. About four years ago, around this time, I showed up to celebrate the holidays and noticed my uncle had a slight stutter in his speech when I was talking to him, but I didn’t think anything of it. Fast forward a few years and thing have drastically changed.

Everyone has their “favorite” uncle, right?! But my uncle Rob is so much more than that to me. He was my first babysitter, my first wrestling coach, he took me to my first Nascar race and Eagles tailgate/game, he was my first boss where he instilled work ethic and characteristics that helped to mold me into the man I am today. But most importantly, Uncle Rob, Robbie, Alford, Alfie is my best friend. Our relationship is a lot different now compared to when I first noticed his stuttered speech as communication is at a minimum.

As the months turned into years, his stutter turned into a slurred speech and his slurred speech has declined to the point that he is now nonverbal. Uncle Rob had lost the ability to speak at the age of 57 and this disease has now started to affect other motor skills throughout his body. As a result, I can’t communicate with my best friend anymore and he cannot communicate with everyone else in his life. After many appointments and hospital visits over the past few years, doctors are still searching for what exactly is causing his health to decline and to determine why it is rapidly worsening. They believe it is neurological and still can’t exactly diagnose what is going on, but doctors continue to monitor his condition.

After celebrating Rob’s 58th birthday, I learned that his condition is continuing to decline and environments like work and driving are becoming unsafe. It is only a matter of time until he is not capable of doing either. I realized all the responsibilities will now fall upon my Aunt Lisa and the amount of things already on her plate are only going to keep growing. I thank the Lord everyday that he has his wife, my godmother, to aid him. As hard as this situation is for me, it is completely unfathomable to think how hard this is for Rob, Lisa, and my two cousins. My Aunt is a trooper, a warrior, a God sent, a selfless person that will do anything for her family and friends. As much as she says she doesn’t need it, I’m going to do what I can to help. And this request is it.

While waiting for disability to kick in, your generous contributions will help ease the weight of everyday living expenses , medical bills, stress, confusion, and the uncertainty that the Alford family is dealing with at this time.

Please help our family through this difficult time!

Thank you