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A catastrophic event like a major health crisis or a job loss can really throw things off balance. So what happens when both situations occur on the same day? On Thursday, March 28, Christopher Drabick, an adjunct Senior Lecturer in the English Department at the University of Akron and loving dad of Augie, 6, and Elliott, 4, complained of a headache to his wife, Alison. He assumed the weird dizziness he was feeling was a response to the ongoing stress caused by turmoil surrounding Alison’s job. That morning, she was let go from her position as a museum educator after nearly 14 years of building creative and dynamic programming that served the Akron community.
By that evening, Chris was feeling worse. He was extremely dizzy and couldn’t get up off the floor or stop vomiting. He was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. After a long night of monitoring, doctors concluded that Chris had suffered a large cerebellar stroke. But that was only the beginning. A day later, Chris’s brain began swelling and he required emergency surgery to relieve the pressure. The procedure saved his life, but in the ensuing days, Chris developed pneumonia and acute kidney injuries. For five days, he remained intubated as a partially collapsed lung kept him from breathing on his own.
Chris fought for his life and won. Now the hard work of recovering from the stroke begins. This week Chris will head to Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation Hospital, where he will work to regain walking, balance and other basic skills. Because of the job loss, Alison will need to make large monthly COBRA payments to her former employer to keep health insurance. Your donation will help pay health care costs and bills while Chris heals and Alison looks for work and cares for Chris and the family.
Chris is a loving dad, caring teacher, committed husband, talented writer and music fanatic. He spent many years as a rock journalist, writing for the Cleveland Free Times, Scene and Under the Radar. His debut novel, The Way We Get By will be published by Unsolicited Press this fall.
By that evening, Chris was feeling worse. He was extremely dizzy and couldn’t get up off the floor or stop vomiting. He was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. After a long night of monitoring, doctors concluded that Chris had suffered a large cerebellar stroke. But that was only the beginning. A day later, Chris’s brain began swelling and he required emergency surgery to relieve the pressure. The procedure saved his life, but in the ensuing days, Chris developed pneumonia and acute kidney injuries. For five days, he remained intubated as a partially collapsed lung kept him from breathing on his own.
Chris fought for his life and won. Now the hard work of recovering from the stroke begins. This week Chris will head to Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation Hospital, where he will work to regain walking, balance and other basic skills. Because of the job loss, Alison will need to make large monthly COBRA payments to her former employer to keep health insurance. Your donation will help pay health care costs and bills while Chris heals and Alison looks for work and cares for Chris and the family.
Chris is a loving dad, caring teacher, committed husband, talented writer and music fanatic. He spent many years as a rock journalist, writing for the Cleveland Free Times, Scene and Under the Radar. His debut novel, The Way We Get By will be published by Unsolicited Press this fall.