My brother desperately needs help.

Hi, my name is Deb and I'm desperately trying to get help for two people, my brother, who had a horrific deep brain stroke, and his best friend with a spinal cord injury, who is wheelchair bound. My brother, Ethan Straus, and his best friend, Terry Swenson, have been best friends for many years. Both are kind, sweet men. Ethan is kind, funny, and hard-working. Terry is a sweet man and will do anything he can for anyone, but he is limited because his spinal cord injury is so high. On top of that, he has horrible, insulin-dependent diabetes and has been in a coma several times. Ethan and Terry have little money and have been roommates for years, trying to make the best of their situations. Ethan has been working as a valet and is well-liked by his co-workers.

On February 13, 2023, Ethan, my brother, suffered a massive, deep-brain hemorrhagic stroke. Later we discovered he had two other clot-type strokes at the same time. None of the strokes could be treated, as the hemorrhagic stroke was so deep in his brain that he bled into his ventricles (little chambers that hold cerebral spinal fluid) and the clots could not be treated with clot-busters as it would worsen his hemorrhagic stroke and kill him. He spent 8 1/2 days on a ventilator and two weeks in an ICU.

He has no feeling or movement, at all, on his left side and cannot care for himself, or even turn himself over. His speech, memory, and cognitive function have all been grievously affected. Despite that, he stays happy and upbeat. He is working hard to improve.

He was finally moved to a rehab facility from the hospital yesterday. We have been warned that he is likely to need lifetime nursing care. He has no money and no family (except me and a brother). He has tried so hard through the years to support himself and no matter how dire his financial circumstances were he stayed upbeat and happy. He still is happy, although I can see how scared he is when he lets his guard down.

Although the rehab facility accepted him, finally, it was only done when I agreed to pay up to $6,000/month for him to go there. I literally had to put a credit card on file to get him approved. I'm a nurse and 67 years old; I do not have the money or ability to pay for this kind of care and neither does my other brother. Then there are the unknowns of what will happen next. I know he will likely need a motorized wheelchair, as he will not be able to handle a non-motorized one with only one functioning hand. Ethan is years away from Medicare still, and assistance from Medicaid is not likely, as it's hard to get and could take a year, even if he ever does qualify. He needs help now.

In addition, Terry needs a new wheelchair. His wheelchair is almost non-functional. Terry is on Medicaid, but they will not pay for another wheelchair. Terry can barely manage to get around in his rickety chair now and it's fast getting worse. His diabetes has been uncontrolled for years, as the cost of insulin was so high that he had to ration it, leaving him susceptible to frequent comas, and a multitude of hospitalizations. Ethan was his lifeline through these years, rescuing him time and again. The insulin issue has finally been resolved, thanks to the recent changes in insulin prices. But without a functioning wheelchair, he literally has to drag himself across the floor, which has happened. I would love to get him a motorized wheelchair, or at least a more functional one, if I could. He is Ethan's best friend and has tried to do as much as he can for him during these horrific times for Ethan.

You don't know these two generous, kind men. You have no obligation to them. Helping them would simply be a kind and generous thing to do and I would be forever grateful, as would both of them. Thank you for hearing me out.