Earth Angels Needed for Ian Sroka

Ian is my nephew, an extraordinary 12 year old due in part to his own diligence and in part to being raised by tenaciously loving parents. You see, Ian was born with a condition known as Gray Matter Heterotopia. Symptoms of the condition can be nonexistent to profound. In Ian's case, it affects his short term memory, speech and some simple brain functions like addition or subtraction (but his multiplication tables are a breeze)! It's hard to know what new challenge Ian may face each day. His school days consist of support and direction from great teachers, therapists and friends. At home, his parents focus on the most positive aspects of what Ian can accomplish. It's not uncommon for Ian to spend an additional 2 hours on school work each night.  While he continues to make progress and keep pace with his classmates, he and his parents must work much harder and put in many more hours than that of their counterparts.

There is no real way to know how far Ian can go, but he deserves to go as far as his diligence and hard work will take him.

Ian's journey though, has recently been complicated by the heart breaking loss of his father. On November 13, 2017, his father, my younger brother Joseph, collapsed at home and died a few hours later at the University of Virgina hospital. Ian was the first one to find his dad, proceeding to go tell his mother he thought daddy was "playing a game with me" and he wouldn't get up off the floor.  Within hours, our beloved brother, husband and daddy had passed on. While Joe is already missed terribly by his partner in crime (aka wife Christine), his siblings, extended family and a host of friends, I cannot fathom how much Ian is missing his best bud, fellow Cleveland Browns fan, mentor and guidepost. Though i will manage to learn to live without my little brother, I do not know how Ian will learn to live without his dad. To me, the task feels insurmountable.

We would like to do what we can for Ian by easing financial concerns in his future, whatever that may hold. It may include college and beyond (his dad held a BA and a Masters). It may include art school or computer coding or physics or music school. But it also may include more doctors, specialists and medication. The funds raised will be placed in a memorial benefit account already established at Wells Fargo Bank and managed long term by Ian's mother Christine. 

We ask your help in donating to his future and ensuring that both he and Christine have piece of mind as they move forward with the most difficult task of doing so without Joe. Thank you in advance for any donation you are so inclined to make.