Help Scott Browner to Recover from Stroke (GOAL REACHED!!!)

28 DAYS AGO... our joyous & loving father Scott Browner had a large hemorrhagic stroke in the left hemisphere of his brain, and we’ve been taking care of him ever since. We didn’t think that a GoFundMe would be necessary at first, but after 20 days in the ICU, 8 days in rehab, and another 70 days of structured care to come before returning home, we’ve found that there’s a LOT more expenses than we’d originally expected.

Luckily, Ben Browner (Scott’s son, writing here) was able to drop what he was doing and move from WA state for several months to act as advocate and caregiver for him. Thanks to this, and the support of dear friends and family (especially Scott’s daughter Lucy), dad has been making a steady recovery, and is now in a top notch Rehab Institute in St. Louis, MO.

We have given (and will continue to give) as much time to our “daddo” as is needed. But money is a limiting factor in our abilities, and your support will ensure that Scott can pay his medical bills, and have the care that he needs in the months to come. He is a strong man with many years left in him. (I mean, he was building a freaking brick patio when his stroke hit! ; ).

Just like he did in life, Scotty has really pushed himself hard in therapy and we’re sooo proud of him for making such huge strides in his abilities. In another 10 weeks or so (~100 days total) Scott should be able to independently return home, and continue living the love-filled life that his friends remember him so well for.

OUR PATH FORWARD

Scott’s still got about 18 days left in The Rehab Institute of St. Louis, where he’ll continue receiving an intensive 3hrs+ of daily speech, physical and occupational therapies. Toward the end of April, Scott will enter into another skilled rehab center in St. Charles MO (to be closer to daughter Lucy and 6 month old grandson Henry), while he continues practicing his independent living skills. During this time, Scott will partake in therapy 6 days per week, and Ben will be with him each afternoon. After 100 days (in July 2024), our aim is to get dad independently homebound!!!

While our path forward is many-faceted, and the bills will continue adding up, we are staying very positive as a family. (But we're also worn out from caregiving, and only now wrapping back around to the financial end of things). Thank you for your patience.

So far, we are tracking the following estimated expenses during dad’s first 100 days, and would appreciate any support (and sharing of this story) that you feel inspired to offer:

$6,300 medical bills / copays / needs thus far

$6,000 for Ben’s loss of work while caregiving

$4,000 in disability upgrades for Scott's house

$800 out of pocket wheelchair upgrades

$400 dad’s therapy books, games, activities

$17,500 Total (read below)

***EDIT #1: Thanks to several generous offline donations, we've lowered our goal a couple times, and as of 4/18 it stands at only $12,000!!! (THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH, from the bottom of our hearts)***

***EDIT #2: Thanks to several more generous offline donations, and an insurance check that came through, we've lowered our GoFundMe goal to $8,000!!! (We're almost there, thank you all so very much)***

***EDIT #3: Thanks to several more generous offline donations, we've now COMPLETED our fundraising goal!!! (Thank you ALLLL so very much, especially the last few big donors that got us over the line. We are forever grateful and indebted to you)... ~Scott, Ben & Lucy Browner

(In transparency: Scott never really saved much money, but his house/acreage is fully paid for, and he lives a simple life. He currently receives a small monthly social security check and a small monthly commission check from his days with Aflac Insurance. This monthly income will cover his bills, taxes, food, house/land maintenance, out-of-pocket medicines and stroke supplements).

IMPORTANT TO NOTE

***Because so much information about Scott’s progress can be found on his CaringBridge Site , we didn’t dive very deep into it here. Please click on the underlined link above to get a more robust picture of his recovery, caregiving, and what all we’ve been through as a family this past month.

***Several of you have expressed a desire to donate directly to the family (outside of GoFundMe) in order to avoid a 2.9% transaction fee. If so, please contact Ben Browner (Scott’s son) through the “Organizer” tab below. Thank you SO much for your support, in whatever way it comes: Venmo, Paypal, check, wire etc. We're more than happy to work with you.

***Please share Scott's story with others! Strokes spare no one. They are the 2nd leading cause of death & disability in the US, and many families break under this unexpected strain. Please review the articles linked at the bottom of this page to learn more about stroke prevention, identification, survivorship and caregiving.

IN GRATITUDE & CLOSING

Thank you again for taking the time to read this and share Scott’s story with others. Our family has been tight knit for decades, and gone through thick & thin together. We’ve never had to ask for help in the past, but this particular scenario is unprecedented, and humbling in nature.

Last week, an old college friend of Scott’s sweetly rallied other friends together on Facebook, commenting that “Scott is probably the nicest guy we know.” (Which he truly is).

With your support, Scott will get a fighting chance at spreading his infectious joy for many years to come. (And we’ll also have our dad for many more years to come as well).

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts…

~Ben & Lucy Browner

STROKE RESOURCES

Stroke Prevention

Stroke Identification

Stroke Survivors

Stroke Caregiving