Hi, my name is Kevin Droste, and I am asking you to help us help Vince Lewis. Vince has been my best friend since I was six and he was five. Without him, I don’t know where life may have taken me. But I do know it would never have been as much fun as it was. If you know Vince, you know he was the life of the party, more fun than any one man should be, and the protagonist of a litany of stories, told and retold at gatherings over these 55+ years. Sadly, we never compiled or published these stories, or this go fund me might have been irrelevant.

Vince was diagnosed with sepsis on December 31, and has been hospitalized ever since. The sepsis led to kidney failure, fluid retention around the heart, and the need to amputate a toe. After 17 days in ICU dealing with the complications of sepsis, Vince was ready for transfer to Acute Care Rehab for physical and occupational therapy. Once he transferred, he developed a bleeding ulcer from the antibiotics, and surgery to repair that led to a heart attack where he was down for nine minutes. Once revived, he had a massive stroke, and is now back in ICU with expressive aphasia, paralysis on the right side, liver issues, and carotid artery occlusion at 70%. Needless to say, he needs our help.

The insurance will not cover a long term stay in acute rehab, and he does not have insurance for home health care and the speech, physical, and occupational therapies that are desperately needed. There are renovations needed to make the house safe for Vince's return. This is where you come in. We would like to give Vince a shot at a full recovery. We estimate this will take a minimum of one month stay at rehab, followed by continued home care. The goal shown is a number to make sure this can happen.

We ask only that you give what you can and help us give Vince a chance to live a good life with his new bride, Robin, his stepsons, and his mother, Julia, who have been the rocks upon which he has relied during this ordeal. Please give what you can.