Mark's stroke recovery care

Update:

Hi again everyone. I want to take some time to thank you for your generosity and provide you an update on how dad is doing as well as an update on our current situation.

We were blown away with how quickly we reached our initial $15,000 goal. Our family is so grateful for our family and friends who were quick to provide not only financial resources but support in so many ways - visiting dad, sending meals to us, helping us navigate the healthcare system, writing encouraging messages, and much more.

Our dad has been home for about three weeks now and is settling into a routine. His new caregivers are wonderful and have been a great addition to Dad's team. In-home therapy visits have started and we’re hopeful that he will continue to improve and gain more function back on the right side of his body. He still gets three tube feeds per day, but his swallowing is steadily improving and we got the green light to try certain foods (like pudding, which he is quickly getting sick of!)

Now that we have more information about dad’s situation and what he qualifies for, we are humbly upping our fundraising goal. Your generosity has allowed us to comfortably get through the month of September, but we are back to being seriously financially burdened starting in early October.

My dad does not qualify for Medicaid but his Medicare insurance SHOULD authorize 35 hours per week of home care. Dad recently had a doctor’s appointment and the neurologist sent over that request. If approved, this will help us offset some caregiving costs.

However, dad still needs 24/7 care. Even with 35 hours per week covered (if it's approved), that still leaves us with 133 hours per week to compensate caregivers. Our family is doing as much as we can to spend time with Dad and take on shifts ourselves, but doing so on top of having full-time jobs and managing the logistics of dad's house and his care has been extremely stressful to juggle.

We are looking at monthly costs of at least $13,000. We are hoping to raise additional funds to help us get through October and part of November as we work to figure out a longer-term, more affordable plan.

It’s still too soon to know how much more progress my dad will make, and his doctors say he is still very early in his recovery. We’re hopeful he won’t need 24/7 care forever, and right now we want to give dad the best chance he can at recovering from the comfort of his home. By upping our goal, we hope to be able to continue utilizing his caregiving team, allowing us to apply for grants, get him to his follow up appointments, and continue to explore all of our options.

If you have already given, thank you so much! We would be so appreciative if you could share our fundraiser.

Original message below:

Hi, I'm Emily, Mark Reyst's oldest daughter. My sister Alexa and I are raising funds to help pay my dad's medical bills, supplies not covered by insurance, and immediate caregiver costs.

In June 2023, our dad had a second stroke which resulted in him losing most of his function on the right side of his body. He was unable to swallow, talk, or move his right leg or arm. He's been working hard in therapy and has made a lot of improvements — he can talk more clearly and swallow a bit better (though he still requires tube feeds for nutrition and meds), is slowly gaining more function in his leg and arm, and can even walk a bit with a walker and two people assisting.

Before the stroke, my dad was incredibly active and incredibly giving. He was either golfing, volunteering at church, mowing a neighbor's lawn, or building a new deck for a friend. Not being able to enjoy his hobbies and do what he does best – going above and beyond for his friends and community — is going to be hard on him.

His time in subacute therapy is likely coming to an end the week of August 21. We don't know what the trajectory of our dad's recovery will look like yet, but as it stands now he needs 24/7 care for the foreseeable future.

Dad is anxious and excited to be at the house he and my late step-mom worked so hard to make a beautiful home. But being outside of a hospital setting is going to require a significant amount of hired support and adjustments to make him being at home safe. Insurance has covered most of his hospital stay and should cover most of the medical equipment, but we are still looking at thousands of dollars in out of pocket costs right now, in addition to paying for skilled caregivers indefinitely. Because my dad needs 24/7 care, the costs are going to accrue quickly and significantly.

All funds raised will be used to pay hospital bills, caregiver costs, medical equipment, and necessary home safety improvements.

Thank you for considering supporting our family. We appreciate you all so much.

If you prefer to send funds a different way you can send via:

Venmo: @EmilyReyst

Cashapp: $discocowboyqueen

Paypal: [email redacted]

With gratitude,

Emily & Alexa