Marshall Pope & Family's Stroke Recovery Fund

Sometime on the night of Tuesday, January 5th, after dropping his wife Michelle off to babysit their granddaughter and arriving back home, Marshall Pope suffered a massive stroke. Unfortunately, he was on the floor of his home, alone, for almost 24 hours before he was discovered. He was rushed to the hospital and given a CT scan that showed a large clot in his brain and lots of swelling. As of this writing, he has no use of the right side of his body, has had a piece of his skull removed to reduce brain swelling.

The situation is very touch-and-go, and could easily turn in either direction over the next few days. As of now, he remains in the ICU at Research Hospital in Kansas City Missouri, which is locked-down due to the COVID-19 disaster - meaning that his wife and family are unable to even visit him. 

This comes after a series of already-devastating blows Marshall has had to bounce back from this year - Marshall is an independent IT consultant and like many of us, his ability to earn income was largely wiped out during the pandemic. Even before this happened, he had exhausted his unemployment benefits and was fighting to keep his house. We are trying to raise an initial $5,000 to cover these bills and provide for Michelle, since Marshall was the sole household income. This way, his family can focus on what is really important - getting through this horrible experience together and supporting Marshall as much as they possibly can.

And you can trust that he will have that support. Marshall is the lifeblood of his family - the kind of devoted father and husband that all men should aspire to be. He has three children, Amber, Julia and Ben, and in July of 2020, celebrated his 30th anniversary with the love of his life, his wife Michelle.

Not only is Marshall the epitome of "loving father and husband", but anyone would be hard pressed to find a better friend, either. I have known Marshall for about seven years, and in that time I have come to count on him like very few I have ever counted on in my life. When the going gets tough - you can bet that you're going to have Marshall Pope behind you. And the tougher the going, the more certain you could be that he'd be there with you. These are qualities Marshall honed while serving his country in the US Air Force, and Marshall is a proud veteran!

The phrase "couldn't have happened to a nicer guy" is oft overused, but if there's one man it truly applies to - one situation that begs for it - it is this situation and this man. He's always been in my corner, and all I have been able to think about this past week has been "He would be working overtime for me, if this were the other way around". 

That being said, I can tell you from experience that nothing helps during a situation like this like "not having to worry about the bills". Caring for a critically ill loved one requires enormous energy, and leaves little left to care about much else at the end of the day.

If you can help, NO MATTER HOW SMALL THE AMOUNT, you couldn't be putting your money in a better place.

- Chad Vaughn - 9 January 2021