My name is Daniel Smith and I am the son of Matthew Smith. I’ve made this gofundme because on March 27th, 2025, my dad suffered a major stroke that changed everything in an instant. The very next day, he developed four additional blood clots—and yet, against all odds, he survived.

He was admitted to the Neuro ICU at Memorial Hermann in The Woodlands, and just five days later—despite everything—he was stable enough to be moved out of intensive care. Only three days after his stroke, he began wiggling his toes, and his physical therapist immediately saw hope. She placed him in a harness-assisted walking device, physically guiding his legs step-by-step. She got down on the floor and moved them for him, saying, “There’s a lot of hope for him.”

The stroke caused right-side weakness—affecting his arm, leg, and face—and resulted in the loss of about 2–5% of his brain function. It could have been far worse, and we count our blessings every day.

That week, we also learned he is diabetic and dealing with heart disease and heart failure. At the time, his heart was functioning at only 30–34%, making him too weak for surgery. He was fitted with a Life Vest, a wearable defibrillator designed to shock the heart if it stopped or went into a dangerous rhythm.

Now—just four months later—his heart function has improved to 44%, and his cardiologist has cleared him to remove the Life Vest. With continued medication, we are hopeful he can reach 55% heart function without surgery.

Since the stroke, he’s gone through multiple stages of care: from Memorial Hermann to inpatient rehab at HCA West, then to Ignite Medical Resort to strengthen his heart. After months of battling both medical and logistical challenges, he was finally admitted to Moody Neurorehabilitation on July 23rd.

Moody is one of the best facilities for stroke recovery. His team believes he can return to independent living—with just a little more time and therapy.

My dad is the proud owner of Lighthouse Security, a company he has built and operated for over 25 years. His medical team fully believes he can return to work and continue running his business—a goal that keeps him motivated every single day.

But there’s one major hurdle: Moody costs $42,000 per month, and insurance will not cover this level of extended care.

We are raising funds to help cover the cost of his continued therapy so that he can stay at Moody(2 more months), continue healing, and get back to the life—and business—he worked so hard to build.

Every donation, no matter the amount, goes directly toward his recovery and care. And if you’re unable to give, sharing this page would mean the world to us.

From the bottom of our hearts—thank you for your time, support, and kindness during this incredibly difficult but hopeful journey.