Kevin's stroke & scooter fund
Donation protected
My name is Kevin Carlson, I am 47 years old, I have a wonderful wife Kelly and three children Molly 16, Evan 13 and Katie 11. We live in Chatham County NC.
I have always been very fortunate to be a person with no major medical issues. However, the day after Christmas this past year I suffered a stroke. It's not something I went public with on social media so this may be news some friends and family.
The stoke was caused by a common, often undiagnosed, congenital heart issue called a PFO. A PFO happens when the opening between the chambers of your heart, that we are all born with, does not close up all the way. A blood clot jumped from one side of my heart, missing the filtering system in my lungs, and went up to my brain.
We learned all of this after a CAT scan, a few MRI's, several trips to the eye doctor, lots of blood work, DNA testing, a bubble test ultra sound of my heart and arteries (which was really cool to see), and several visits to the caridiologist and neurologist. Fortunately, I do not have any other major underlying issues but will have at least yearly visits to the cardiologist and neurologist going forward.
But, that blood clot decided to hang out in my left occipital lobe affecting my vision. I now have a condition called hemianopia. I have no vision to the right side. My vision, without a miracle, will not restore.
This is my MRI, see the white spot on the right side of the image? That's my stoke.
Since returning home from our Christmas vacation at grandma's in Florida where I suffered the stroke, I have worked through the various symptoms and issues my problems created. My family has also stood with me during this time of adjustment as they work through their own emotions and feelings.
At first I would see flashing lights and images (like my son's face floating by) that would appear in my vision. I started to get fuctioning normally once all of the visual affects stopped as well as the headaches and nausea. I do still have some frustrating days where I will knock things over, overlook something I misplaced that is right in front of me, run into a piece of furniture or walk into someone at the store. And I have some physical limitations like no amusement park rides and no leaning forward and lifting heavy objects.
This is what Hemianopia make things look like to me -
You will see in my photo that now I have these nifty prisms on my glasses that help me to be warned of things to my right that I cannot normally see. They act like anyone's peripheral vision by alering you to things not right in front of you. These prisms created another learning curve for me. While they are helpful they also block some of what is my new "normal" vision. But its time for me to get back to work.
When we moved to North Carolina from Florida several years ago we made a bit of a lifestyle change by living in a more rural area. This has required a longer commute for me. The problem is that I am no longer legal to drive in the state of North Carolina. So I am going to start commuting the 35 miles via bus.
However, the nearest bus stop is a 20 minute drive from the house. So what we are thinking is that since I am still legal to drive a small scooter, I can get to and from the bus stop most days scooting along the road. Plus it will allow me the opportunity to make the 5 miledrive to the nearest shopping center from time to time. The lack of independence has been a struggle as well.
Kelly, our kids, and several families have been so helpful during this time with tranportation needs. They have helped get the kids to book club, Boy Scouts, the Winter Jam Concert! and other activities. Molly especially has driven me all over the place these past several months getting lots of driving hours in for her drivers permit time.
But, we like most people have a high deductible plan and we are working through paying the medical expenses realted to me stroke. So we thought we would give it a try to see if we could put together the cost of a reliable scooter, a helmet, some clothing and insurance via GoFundMe.
We are so grateful for the many people who have supportive of us these last several months. And I am so lucky that I have not been left with other major issues as a result of the stroke.
If you feel it in your heart to help, any amount is great. I promise to share photos of me and my new ride. I hope I can get on my new ride in the next several weeks.
Thank you so much for reading my story and considering a contribution.
I have always been very fortunate to be a person with no major medical issues. However, the day after Christmas this past year I suffered a stroke. It's not something I went public with on social media so this may be news some friends and family.
The stoke was caused by a common, often undiagnosed, congenital heart issue called a PFO. A PFO happens when the opening between the chambers of your heart, that we are all born with, does not close up all the way. A blood clot jumped from one side of my heart, missing the filtering system in my lungs, and went up to my brain.
We learned all of this after a CAT scan, a few MRI's, several trips to the eye doctor, lots of blood work, DNA testing, a bubble test ultra sound of my heart and arteries (which was really cool to see), and several visits to the caridiologist and neurologist. Fortunately, I do not have any other major underlying issues but will have at least yearly visits to the cardiologist and neurologist going forward.
But, that blood clot decided to hang out in my left occipital lobe affecting my vision. I now have a condition called hemianopia. I have no vision to the right side. My vision, without a miracle, will not restore.
This is my MRI, see the white spot on the right side of the image? That's my stoke.
Since returning home from our Christmas vacation at grandma's in Florida where I suffered the stroke, I have worked through the various symptoms and issues my problems created. My family has also stood with me during this time of adjustment as they work through their own emotions and feelings.
At first I would see flashing lights and images (like my son's face floating by) that would appear in my vision. I started to get fuctioning normally once all of the visual affects stopped as well as the headaches and nausea. I do still have some frustrating days where I will knock things over, overlook something I misplaced that is right in front of me, run into a piece of furniture or walk into someone at the store. And I have some physical limitations like no amusement park rides and no leaning forward and lifting heavy objects.
This is what Hemianopia make things look like to me -
You will see in my photo that now I have these nifty prisms on my glasses that help me to be warned of things to my right that I cannot normally see. They act like anyone's peripheral vision by alering you to things not right in front of you. These prisms created another learning curve for me. While they are helpful they also block some of what is my new "normal" vision. But its time for me to get back to work.
When we moved to North Carolina from Florida several years ago we made a bit of a lifestyle change by living in a more rural area. This has required a longer commute for me. The problem is that I am no longer legal to drive in the state of North Carolina. So I am going to start commuting the 35 miles via bus.
However, the nearest bus stop is a 20 minute drive from the house. So what we are thinking is that since I am still legal to drive a small scooter, I can get to and from the bus stop most days scooting along the road. Plus it will allow me the opportunity to make the 5 miledrive to the nearest shopping center from time to time. The lack of independence has been a struggle as well.
Kelly, our kids, and several families have been so helpful during this time with tranportation needs. They have helped get the kids to book club, Boy Scouts, the Winter Jam Concert! and other activities. Molly especially has driven me all over the place these past several months getting lots of driving hours in for her drivers permit time.
But, we like most people have a high deductible plan and we are working through paying the medical expenses realted to me stroke. So we thought we would give it a try to see if we could put together the cost of a reliable scooter, a helmet, some clothing and insurance via GoFundMe.
We are so grateful for the many people who have supportive of us these last several months. And I am so lucky that I have not been left with other major issues as a result of the stroke.
If you feel it in your heart to help, any amount is great. I promise to share photos of me and my new ride. I hope I can get on my new ride in the next several weeks.
Thank you so much for reading my story and considering a contribution.
Organizer
Kevin Carlson
Organizer
Chapel Hill, NC