Hi,

I wanted to give you a rundown of our recent 4 weeks. It's been a doozy.

On 5/6, I collapsed at a gas station, hit the back of my head very hard, and passed out. After getting rushed to the ER, they found a brain bleed, which is a hemorrhagic stroke. I was in ICU and CCU for a week before being transferred to an acute rehab hospital for a further 2 weeks. I had to basically learn how to walk properly again, which I am still doing. I am able to walk 250 ft before having to sit down. I get headaches so bad that they numb my whole body and dizziness that varies throughout the day. I am unable to do much at all these days, just go to PT and OT and get very frustrated and depressed.

With us owning a family-owned and operated transportation company, poor Tami had to step up, and my father-in-law flew down from Wisconsin to help us and drove one of our vehicles on tour while Tami was on the other tour. Everything was being managed until Thursday when Tami broke her ankle while on one of the tours with 7 journalists in her group. Luckily, Rees, our middle son, was able to drive down our friend Z to help Tami drive the rest of the tour. We got by. Well, today, with both Tami and I unable to drive, Rees got into an accident which totaled his car. He was hauled to the hospital before we even knew he had been in an accident. Luckily, he is just very battered and bruised and very sore. That's 3 people unable to drive now and a totaled car. I was told that I can't drive for 3 months, which is going to be very hard. With all these hospital visits, especially for me, and now being down a vehicle, we have to start from scratch and reevaluate what we want to do with our lives. I have many days of therapy ahead of me yet and 2 brain aneurysms that need to be taken care of, so the cost won't stop here.

We are fundraising to cover the extensive medical expenses and the cost of a new vehicle. If there is such a thing, to try and get back on the positive side of life once again.