UPDATE:

AJ's Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/share/17ZgG38Ur8/

Feel free to leave AJ (and family) a message.

Update – December 24, 2025

I don’t have the words for this. I don’t think anyone ever does.

Early yesterday morning, December 23rd, Doug and Stacey lost their oldest son. He was 12 years old. He passed away in his sleep.

A child. Twelve years old.

There is no order to the world where this is supposed to happen.

Doug and Stacey are broken in a way that changes people forever. The kind of broken where you’re still breathing, still standing, but nothing inside you feels solid anymore. The house is quieter than it should be. The days feel wrong. Time doesn’t move the way it used to.

After years of medical emergencies, grief, and just trying to stay afloat, this is the loss that takes the air out of your lungs. No parent should ever have to carry this. No family should ever have to wake up to this reality.

Right now, they are doing the only thing they can — getting through minute by minute. Trying to hold each other together. Trying to be there for their remaining child while their own hearts feel completely shattered. There are no answers. There is no “next step.” There is just pain.

This GoFundMe started as a way to help Doug and Stacey survive overwhelming medical hardship. Today, it has become a way to help them survive the worst moment of their lives.

They are facing funeral expenses, time away from work, and the unbearable weight of grief while life continues to demand things from them anyway. It is too much for one family to carry alone.

If you can help in any way — donating, sharing, or simply pausing for a moment to care — please do. Even the smallest act of kindness matters right now. It reminds them that the world has not completely gone cold.

Please keep Doug and Stacey and their family in your hearts.

Thank you for being here.

Help Doug & Stacey Thomas Rebuild After a Widowmaker Heart Attack and Years of Heartbreak

After surviving years of loss and illness, this loving family faces another medical crisis. Let’s help them heal — together.

Some people bring light wherever they go — not because life is easy, but because their hearts refuse to dim.

That’s Stacey Thomas.

She’s the quiet strength in every storm — the one who remembers your pet’s name, your favorite snack, and how you take your coffee. As the office manager at a veterinary clinic, she comforts others through heartbreaks of their own — wagging tails, soft paws, and all.

Even when her own world was breaking, Stacey gave.

When others needed help, she found a way.

When friends were hurting, she showed up.

That’s just who she is — a mix of Piglet’s gentle heart and Tigger’s unstoppable bounce.

Now, it’s our turn to show up for her and her husband, Doug.

A Journey of Resilience

Stacey’s road hasn’t been easy.

A catastrophic leg injury changed her life overnight. Most would have given up — but not Stacey. She fought through years of pain and therapy to stand again, determined to become strong enough for a life-saving gastric bypass surgery.

At her side, Doug Thomas — her husband, her rock — fought his own battles: a stroke, diabetes, and heart problems that tested his strength and spirit.

Together, they’ve faced:

• Stacey’s life-changing leg break and long recovery

• The hard-won journey to become surgery-ready for gastric bypass

• Appendectomy and hernia repair

• Hashimoto’s, PCOS, and neuropathy

• Doug’s stroke, diabetes, and now a “widowmaker” heart attack

• Endless hospital stays and sleepless nights

And through it all, they’ve been devoted parents to two wonderful special-needs boys whose laughter keeps them fighting every day.

️ Loss Upon Loss

Since 2020, the Thomases have said goodbye to ten loved ones — including Stacey’s mom, dad, and sister, as well as Doug’s brother and best friend who was not only family but also a loving caregiver and steady support for their boys. His loss left a hole that no one could ever fill.

And then, they lost Tess — their beloved rescue dog, their comfort and constant through every storm. If love could have saved her, she’d still be here.

Each loss chipped away at their world, yet somehow they kept love at the center of it all.

Why Now

This past Monday, heartbreak struck again.

Doug woke in agony — chest and arm pain that made Stacey’s heart stop. She called 911 without hesitation. At 4 a.m., fire and ambulance crews filled their driveway. The EMTs said his EKG looked normal, but Stacey — trusting that quiet inner voice that’s guided her through everything — said, “Take him anyway.”

That decision saved his life.

At the hospital, doctors discovered a “widowmaker” heart attack — one artery completely blocked. Two stents were placed to restore blood flow. One miracle — and another long road ahead.

The Weight They Carry

Their post-insurance medical bills already top $250,000 and keep rising. They’ve fought so hard — through grief, surgeries, and debt — but even the strongest hearts need help.

❤️ How You Can Help

Every donation, every share, every kind word matters. Funds will go toward:

• Doug’s cardiac recovery and medications

• Stacey’s ongoing therapy and medical care

• Support for their special-needs sons

• Keeping their home safe and stable

Even $10 or a share truly helps. If you’ve ever known someone like Stacey — the one who quietly holds everyone else together — please help hold her up now.

From One Heart to Another

Doug and Stacey Thomas have spent years giving, loving, and fighting to stay afloat.

Now they need a little of that love returned.

Let’s remind the Thomases that kindness still circles back.

Let’s help them heal — one act of love, one ripple of hope at a time.