Kare for Kraig
Donation protected
Hello! Thank you for clicking on our GoFundMe and taking the time to read through our story below, we appreciate any time given to this GoFundMe whether it be prayers, shares, or even a monetary donation.
On April 11, 2021 our dad, Kraig Koch, woke up complaining of numbness in his left side/arm. My sister Kelsey immediately called 911 as she believed he was having a stroke. The paramedics arrived and determined that our dad could have potentially suffered a mini stroke, or a TIA. They took him to the emergency room at Carle BroMenn Hospital here in Normal, Illinois. It was there that our dad went through further testing to determine what the cause of his numbness and vertigo was and was admitted into the hospital for 24 hour observation. While in the hospital our dad suffered 3 more mini strokes. Throughout those mini strokes his left side became paralyzed. He experienced drooping of the face and left arm and leg paralysis. The doctors continued running MRIs, CTs, and CAT Scans and those tests ultimately revealed that our dad, Kraig Koch, had suffered a deep stroke. They admitted him into the ICU and immediately began treatment by administering him a blood clot blocker medicine. His mini strokes stopped, but he was left with the side effects of his paralysis on his left side, facial drooping, and numbness. He spent 1 week in the ICU and then was moved to the PCU. After a couple of days in the PCU he was moved into a rehab unit at the hospital and has been there since.
Since April 18th our dad has been working extremely hard in the Rehab unit to gain mobility and speech back. He is working with many different therapists, from PT, OT, to SLPs. He is a hard-worker and determined to overcome the challenges that resulted from his stroke. His left arm is still completely paralyzed and he still has little mobility in his leg. He is able to stand up with a walker and is working hard with his physical therapist to get his ability to walk back. He has told many of his nurses and therapists that his number one goal is to be able to walk out of the hospital.
Because of COVID my dad is only allowed 1 visitor, which is my mom. Being the father to 6 kids and the grandfather to 7 grandkids it has been hard for all of us as a family. We miss him dearly and wish that we all could visit him and help him with his healing journey. We all try our best to FaceTime him and call him almost every day. He has always been the best father and has become the most amazing grandfather/papa to his grandkids. If you know our Dad, you know that he has the biggest heart possible. He is always putting his family, friends, co-workers, and strangers first. He lives by the commandment of always loving his neighbor as himself. He goes above and beyond for other people.
Our Dad has been an active part of the Bloomington/Normal Community for over 50 years. He has grown up in this area and he has created a family in this area. He has been a part of so many organizations, from being a parishioner to Holy Trinity Catholic Church, to being a part of TEC and Cursillo communities, to also being in bands with some of his best buds and musicians. Our dad is a man of many talents. He knows how to make the best BBQ you will ever eat. He also knows how to write a song that will get you dancing and singing. Our Dad is full of personality. He truly lives life to the fullest and tries to have fun in every situation. He has taught all of his kids the importance of being kind to others and of always trying to do our best. He has done so much and now it is our turn to help him.
While we know money is tight with COVID, we are asking that if you are able to share anything at all we would greatly appreciate it. Even with our insurance we know the cost of his medical bills are going to be high. As our dad is the main income for our house and as his job is a physically demanding job, he unfortunately will not be able to work at full capacity for quite some time (we are expecting it to be 6 months or more before he can return to work fully).
Therefore, we kids are asking to please consider donating. Any money that is donated will be used for paying hospital bills, household bills, and helping to create a stroke recovery friendly house. Our house is a 40 year old house with two floors and a basement. Our parent's bedroom is on the second floor and we will need to make adjustments to create a living space for our dad on the main floor. Creating a living space for him might include getting a bed frame which is lower to the floor to allow for easy access for him to get in and out of. We might potentially look into getting a hospital style bed for him as well. We will need to add handles within our bathroom to assist with him in the shower. We will also need to look at creating a living space that is lower to the ground and within his reach more. We will also be looking into adding railings on both our front and back porch. Both of our porch steps are concrete so we will need to look into hiring someone to assist with this. We also will be looking into potentially adding a ramp to the front porch pending any news from his therapists on what his mobility will be like when he is released from the hospital.
Nobody is ever prepared for a tragedy like this. We certainly did not expect our 61 year old father to have a stroke. His stroke has changed a lot of our perspectives and has sparked a lot of changes in our own personal lives. We have come to realize just how precious life is and our so grateful that our Dad is still here with us.
We pray and hope that you consider donating and helping us reach our goal. If you are not able to donate monetarily but are able to help in other ways, i.e. providing meals, helping with lawn work, etc. feel free to contact me, Kayley Koch through the GoFundMe app. If you are not able to donate or help in other ways, we do please ask that you pray for our dad. Pray for his recovery. Pray for him to have the strength he needs to heal. Prayers and sharing of this post are just as helpful. My dad has said that he feels every prayer that is being said and is already so grateful for all of his prayer warriors out there <3
On behalf of all of the Koch Children, we thank you deeply for considering donating and helping our Dad. We appreciate this community so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
On April 11, 2021 our dad, Kraig Koch, woke up complaining of numbness in his left side/arm. My sister Kelsey immediately called 911 as she believed he was having a stroke. The paramedics arrived and determined that our dad could have potentially suffered a mini stroke, or a TIA. They took him to the emergency room at Carle BroMenn Hospital here in Normal, Illinois. It was there that our dad went through further testing to determine what the cause of his numbness and vertigo was and was admitted into the hospital for 24 hour observation. While in the hospital our dad suffered 3 more mini strokes. Throughout those mini strokes his left side became paralyzed. He experienced drooping of the face and left arm and leg paralysis. The doctors continued running MRIs, CTs, and CAT Scans and those tests ultimately revealed that our dad, Kraig Koch, had suffered a deep stroke. They admitted him into the ICU and immediately began treatment by administering him a blood clot blocker medicine. His mini strokes stopped, but he was left with the side effects of his paralysis on his left side, facial drooping, and numbness. He spent 1 week in the ICU and then was moved to the PCU. After a couple of days in the PCU he was moved into a rehab unit at the hospital and has been there since.
Since April 18th our dad has been working extremely hard in the Rehab unit to gain mobility and speech back. He is working with many different therapists, from PT, OT, to SLPs. He is a hard-worker and determined to overcome the challenges that resulted from his stroke. His left arm is still completely paralyzed and he still has little mobility in his leg. He is able to stand up with a walker and is working hard with his physical therapist to get his ability to walk back. He has told many of his nurses and therapists that his number one goal is to be able to walk out of the hospital.
Because of COVID my dad is only allowed 1 visitor, which is my mom. Being the father to 6 kids and the grandfather to 7 grandkids it has been hard for all of us as a family. We miss him dearly and wish that we all could visit him and help him with his healing journey. We all try our best to FaceTime him and call him almost every day. He has always been the best father and has become the most amazing grandfather/papa to his grandkids. If you know our Dad, you know that he has the biggest heart possible. He is always putting his family, friends, co-workers, and strangers first. He lives by the commandment of always loving his neighbor as himself. He goes above and beyond for other people.
Our Dad has been an active part of the Bloomington/Normal Community for over 50 years. He has grown up in this area and he has created a family in this area. He has been a part of so many organizations, from being a parishioner to Holy Trinity Catholic Church, to being a part of TEC and Cursillo communities, to also being in bands with some of his best buds and musicians. Our dad is a man of many talents. He knows how to make the best BBQ you will ever eat. He also knows how to write a song that will get you dancing and singing. Our Dad is full of personality. He truly lives life to the fullest and tries to have fun in every situation. He has taught all of his kids the importance of being kind to others and of always trying to do our best. He has done so much and now it is our turn to help him.
While we know money is tight with COVID, we are asking that if you are able to share anything at all we would greatly appreciate it. Even with our insurance we know the cost of his medical bills are going to be high. As our dad is the main income for our house and as his job is a physically demanding job, he unfortunately will not be able to work at full capacity for quite some time (we are expecting it to be 6 months or more before he can return to work fully).
Therefore, we kids are asking to please consider donating. Any money that is donated will be used for paying hospital bills, household bills, and helping to create a stroke recovery friendly house. Our house is a 40 year old house with two floors and a basement. Our parent's bedroom is on the second floor and we will need to make adjustments to create a living space for our dad on the main floor. Creating a living space for him might include getting a bed frame which is lower to the floor to allow for easy access for him to get in and out of. We might potentially look into getting a hospital style bed for him as well. We will need to add handles within our bathroom to assist with him in the shower. We will also need to look at creating a living space that is lower to the ground and within his reach more. We will also be looking into adding railings on both our front and back porch. Both of our porch steps are concrete so we will need to look into hiring someone to assist with this. We also will be looking into potentially adding a ramp to the front porch pending any news from his therapists on what his mobility will be like when he is released from the hospital.
Nobody is ever prepared for a tragedy like this. We certainly did not expect our 61 year old father to have a stroke. His stroke has changed a lot of our perspectives and has sparked a lot of changes in our own personal lives. We have come to realize just how precious life is and our so grateful that our Dad is still here with us.
We pray and hope that you consider donating and helping us reach our goal. If you are not able to donate monetarily but are able to help in other ways, i.e. providing meals, helping with lawn work, etc. feel free to contact me, Kayley Koch through the GoFundMe app. If you are not able to donate or help in other ways, we do please ask that you pray for our dad. Pray for his recovery. Pray for him to have the strength he needs to heal. Prayers and sharing of this post are just as helpful. My dad has said that he feels every prayer that is being said and is already so grateful for all of his prayer warriors out there <3
On behalf of all of the Koch Children, we thank you deeply for considering donating and helping our Dad. We appreciate this community so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Organizer
Kayley Koch
Organizer
Normal, IL