Help me continue caring for the grandmother who raised me.

Some people spend their lives talking about doing the right thing.

I’ve tried to spend my life actually doing it.

I grew up surrounded by the values of faith, discipline and hard work. I attended Christ the King Catholic School before graduating from Cathedral High School, where I became known to many in the community not just as an athlete, but as someone who tried to treat people the right way. I became an eagle scout while in highschool, trying to setup my future as comfortably as possible.

At Cathedral, I was fortunate enough to be part of state championship teams in both football and rugby; and I wrestled as well as being apart of the trombone section of the highschool band. Being able to compete at a high level in multiple sports and band was something I’ll always be proud of and never stop striving for. I also loved playing basketball; while bringing energy, competing hard, and trying to lift up the teammates and bandmates around me.

But athletics were never the most important thing to me. Character was.

My teachers, coaches, and classmates knew me as someone who tried to stay focused on the right things. I worked hard in the classroom, respected the people around me, and carried myself with discipline.

After graduating from Cathedral, I attended Ball State University and worked toward building a future for myself. But after leaving Ball State in 2012, life took a different path than I expected.

Over the years I worked many jobs such as cooking, cleaning and anything in between; doing whatever I could to keep moving forward. For a short time I even moved to Cleveland to try to find a way to attend school there. When that didn’t work out, I returned to Indianapolis and tried to pick up where I left off.

During one of the most difficult stretches of my life, I spent time relying on shelters in downtown Indianapolis for food and water, as well as clothing and exercise. I try not to focus on the horror stories or sad memories from the time in the shelter, but I can honestly say I saw just about everything while I was there. In many ways it became an important step in my faith and my personal growth. It was a place where I searched deeply for strength and purpose, even when hope felt impossible to find.

From time to time I would hear from family members asking why they hadn’t seen me in so long. Those questions came from relatives as young as eight years old to as old as seventy-eight. I tried my best to brush it off and stay calm, but over time I began to feel scared; scared that maybe one day I might never see some of them again.

Around that same time, my grandmother Mary, the woman who raised me, began having serious health problems. She started falling more frequently and sometimes couldn’t get up for ten minutes or longer at a time. In the last eight months, she has also had four seizures along with various hereditary symptoms appearing lately as well.

Seeing that happen put me into what I can only describe as a state of panic. I started asking myself what I could possibly do in a situation where it felt like there were very few answers.

From that moment on, I went into what I call survival mode, almost like a lion in the jungle, doing everything I could think of to manage the responsibilities in front of me. Instead of focusing only on rebuilding my own life, I stepped in to care for the person who spent years taking care of me. For years now, I’ve been my grandmother’s primary support system. I do everything I can to make sure she has food, a safe place to live, transportation to appointments, and the care she needs to remain stable.

But caregiving comes with enormous emotional and financial strain.

The costs of medical care, housing, transportation, and daily living expenses have continued to add up over time. Trying to balance all of that while keeping our lives stable has taken a serious toll.

Despite doing everything I can to keep things together; I’ve reached a point where the burden has become overwhelming. And still, every day, I continue to show up for her. Anyone who knows me knows I’ve never been someone who likes asking for help. In fact, it took me 14 years to finally open up and admit that I may need more support than I’ve let on.

This fundraiser is my way of asking for that help. The funds raised will go toward helping me continue caring for my grandmother and stabilizing the situation we are currently facing.

Donations will help cover essential needs such as:

• Home care and nursing support

• Medical expenses and medications

• Housing and home repairs

• Transportation and car repairs

• Food, clothing, and daily necessities

• Communication needs such as phones

• Assistance moving my grandmother to a safer, quieter living environment

Reaching this goal would help relieve some of the financial pressure I’ve been carrying for years. It would also allow me to secure my car, work toward paying off debts, and create a more stable situation for both of us.

My hope is to move my grandmother somewhere safer within the city and give her the peace and care she deserves. Even something small can make a big difference. If members of my graduating class alone were able to contribute $100 each, the goal could be reached quickly.

But every contribution matters. If you are unable to donate, sharing this page can help more than you might realize. My grandmother spent years taking care of me and helping raise me into the person I am today.

Now I’m doing everything I can to take care of her. I personally would like to thank my Uncle Ansley "Reggie" Valentine for his personal contributions of coming throughout times in need when she needed the most. His pictures are included in the photo section.

And thank YOU all very, very much especially the friends, classmates and extended family members who have already helped me emotionally along the way. Your kindness, generosity and support truly mean more than I can express. Please share on all social media platforms, I have everything except Tiktok, so please help me by sharing to any pages or group you feel is appropriate.

If you would like to contact through social media to get hold of me my Facebook is facebook.com/wes.stokes3