Medical Care for Clark
Donation protected
On July 6th Clark went into cardiac arrest and his heart stopped for approximately 10-14 minutes. CPR was performed on Clark in order to restart his heart, however, lack of oxygen to his brain left Clark in a coma. He remained unconscious in the ICU for 7 days. Miraculously, following many prayers from our family and friends, he awoke the day after a doctor told us that Clark was not expected to live. However, he suffered an anoxic brain injury which has left him without full function.
Clark struggles with his short term memory and lost complete use of his arms, legs and hands. With extensive therapy his doctors expect him to make a full recovery. Clark spent approximately six weeks in a rehab hospital, first in Utah and then in Missouri. He now is attending out patient therapy at a center located in Missouri. He works for three hours a day with speech, occupational and physical therapists. This intensity of therapy and exercise (three hours a day, six days a week) is recommended for the next four to six months minimum in order for Clark to make a full recovery.
Unfortunately, insurance will only cover enough for Clark to attend out patient therapy two to three times per week. Clark's doctors have recommended that he should be getting therapy every day and avoiding idle time as much as possible. The only way we will be able to get Clark the recommended amount of therapy would be to pay for his additional therapy out of pocket. For each therapy (physical, occupational, and speech), it will cost 300-400 per session.
Any donation will really help us be able to get Clark the therapy and treatments that he needs. We appreciate donations of any size.
Additionally, we would appreciate it if anyone knows someone familiar with physical, occupational or speech therapy who would be willing to come and help Clark do his exercises at home. We are asking for volunteers to volunteer any amount of time they can spare.
We are so grateful for all the help that Clark has already received. From his medical care, to to all those who have sent out thoughts and prayers for him. We know that he can make a full recovery and are grateful for those who have been there for Clark and our entire family!
UPDATES:
October 1, 2018
Clark is getting stronger every day and working very hard in his therapies. He recently started re-learning how to walk with a walker. Currently he has been having trouble maintaining his balance and not allowing his feet to turn inwards when he walks (a common symptom of brain injury patients). His short-term memory is improving, however he still needs help remembering specific details from the day. Additionally, Clark's gross motor skills in his hands has improved, but he still has trouble with fine motor skill tasks.
Progress has been slow and difficult at times, but he has the most positive attitude and is making the most out of every therapy session! God is definitely lifting Clark through this experience and giving him strength to carry on. Clark wants everyone to know how grateful he is for all of their love and support!
We are so touched by the immense amount of support we have received from friends and family! We love you, and again thank you.
November 28, 2018
Thanks to the generous donations of family and friends, for the past two months Clark has been able to bump therapy up from 3x a week to 5x a week. He has been working tirelessly with physical, occupational and speech therapists in order gain back mobility and strength, and his hard work is paying off!
Clark’s ability to walk with the walker has improved since when he first started therapy! His ability to straighten his feet and walk heel to toe is improving. Not only is Clark using the walker more at therapy, but also our family was able to purchase a walker in order for him to practice walking at home. Since then Clark has had a few falls, but he has not let that derail him. Clark is also beginning to practice walking without the walker and is making strides with that as well. However, he still requires someone to hold his gait belt and assist him. The next step for Clark will be to replace his wheelchair use with full-time assistance of the walker. In order to make that shift, Clark still needs to improve his balance and coordination. To help improve balance and coordination Clark does one hour of pool therapy 3x a week.
Clark’s fine motor skills are beginning to improve as well. He is now able to dress himself, brush his teeth, comb his hair and even text! Although Clark’s left hand is fairly mobile, his right hand lacks more mobility. He still has quite a bit of spasticity in his hands and struggles with being able to relax his fingers.
Additionally, Clark’s short term memory has improved. He is able to recall activities from the day, although sometimes he requires a bit of prodding to spark his memory. He is still working on being able to recall from day-to-day.
We are so incredibly grateful for the support that has been given to Clark. We are grateful for your prayers, donations, fb shares and kind words. Clark is truly such an amazing individual with a heart of gold. I admire him for his grit, determination, meekness and humility.
Our family is frequently reminded by his therapist that his journey with this injury is a marathon, not merely a race. It will take time for Clark to recover, however his therapists are hopeful that with time he will make a full recovery.
April 9, 2018
Hello family and friends, here is the latest update on my brother Clark.
As many of you know, Clark had a serious accident July 2018 resulting in an anoxic brain injury (see https://www.gofundme.com/medical-care-for-clark for the full story). Since our last update, in November, Clark has transitioned from full reliability of his wheelchair, to limited use. Instead he now uses his walker to get around, and is beginning to work on using a cane.
Clark attends therapy 5x a week, and loves his treatment team! They are the best and we are so grateful for their hard work and friendship. Monday-Friday Clark works with physical and occupational therapy. He also attends pool therapy 3x a week. For the past 3 months Clark hasn’t worked with a speech therapist because his treatment team thought it would be best if Clark focused his full amount of energy on his physical therapies. However, as a family we work with Clark everyday on simple speech exercises to help improve his short-term memory.
We are so incredibly grateful for the support that has been given to Clark through prayers, kind words, fb shares and generous donations. Through the support of family and friends Clark has been able to receive excellent treatment. Clark still has a long road ahead of him, and will continue to need therapy for many more months. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers, and share his GoFundMe page so we can continue to raise funds for him. Thank you!
Clark struggles with his short term memory and lost complete use of his arms, legs and hands. With extensive therapy his doctors expect him to make a full recovery. Clark spent approximately six weeks in a rehab hospital, first in Utah and then in Missouri. He now is attending out patient therapy at a center located in Missouri. He works for three hours a day with speech, occupational and physical therapists. This intensity of therapy and exercise (three hours a day, six days a week) is recommended for the next four to six months minimum in order for Clark to make a full recovery.
Unfortunately, insurance will only cover enough for Clark to attend out patient therapy two to three times per week. Clark's doctors have recommended that he should be getting therapy every day and avoiding idle time as much as possible. The only way we will be able to get Clark the recommended amount of therapy would be to pay for his additional therapy out of pocket. For each therapy (physical, occupational, and speech), it will cost 300-400 per session.
Any donation will really help us be able to get Clark the therapy and treatments that he needs. We appreciate donations of any size.
Additionally, we would appreciate it if anyone knows someone familiar with physical, occupational or speech therapy who would be willing to come and help Clark do his exercises at home. We are asking for volunteers to volunteer any amount of time they can spare.
We are so grateful for all the help that Clark has already received. From his medical care, to to all those who have sent out thoughts and prayers for him. We know that he can make a full recovery and are grateful for those who have been there for Clark and our entire family!
UPDATES:
October 1, 2018
Clark is getting stronger every day and working very hard in his therapies. He recently started re-learning how to walk with a walker. Currently he has been having trouble maintaining his balance and not allowing his feet to turn inwards when he walks (a common symptom of brain injury patients). His short-term memory is improving, however he still needs help remembering specific details from the day. Additionally, Clark's gross motor skills in his hands has improved, but he still has trouble with fine motor skill tasks.
Progress has been slow and difficult at times, but he has the most positive attitude and is making the most out of every therapy session! God is definitely lifting Clark through this experience and giving him strength to carry on. Clark wants everyone to know how grateful he is for all of their love and support!
We are so touched by the immense amount of support we have received from friends and family! We love you, and again thank you.
November 28, 2018
Thanks to the generous donations of family and friends, for the past two months Clark has been able to bump therapy up from 3x a week to 5x a week. He has been working tirelessly with physical, occupational and speech therapists in order gain back mobility and strength, and his hard work is paying off!
Clark’s ability to walk with the walker has improved since when he first started therapy! His ability to straighten his feet and walk heel to toe is improving. Not only is Clark using the walker more at therapy, but also our family was able to purchase a walker in order for him to practice walking at home. Since then Clark has had a few falls, but he has not let that derail him. Clark is also beginning to practice walking without the walker and is making strides with that as well. However, he still requires someone to hold his gait belt and assist him. The next step for Clark will be to replace his wheelchair use with full-time assistance of the walker. In order to make that shift, Clark still needs to improve his balance and coordination. To help improve balance and coordination Clark does one hour of pool therapy 3x a week.
Clark’s fine motor skills are beginning to improve as well. He is now able to dress himself, brush his teeth, comb his hair and even text! Although Clark’s left hand is fairly mobile, his right hand lacks more mobility. He still has quite a bit of spasticity in his hands and struggles with being able to relax his fingers.
Additionally, Clark’s short term memory has improved. He is able to recall activities from the day, although sometimes he requires a bit of prodding to spark his memory. He is still working on being able to recall from day-to-day.
We are so incredibly grateful for the support that has been given to Clark. We are grateful for your prayers, donations, fb shares and kind words. Clark is truly such an amazing individual with a heart of gold. I admire him for his grit, determination, meekness and humility.
Our family is frequently reminded by his therapist that his journey with this injury is a marathon, not merely a race. It will take time for Clark to recover, however his therapists are hopeful that with time he will make a full recovery.
April 9, 2018
Hello family and friends, here is the latest update on my brother Clark.
As many of you know, Clark had a serious accident July 2018 resulting in an anoxic brain injury (see https://www.gofundme.com/medical-care-for-clark for the full story). Since our last update, in November, Clark has transitioned from full reliability of his wheelchair, to limited use. Instead he now uses his walker to get around, and is beginning to work on using a cane.
Clark attends therapy 5x a week, and loves his treatment team! They are the best and we are so grateful for their hard work and friendship. Monday-Friday Clark works with physical and occupational therapy. He also attends pool therapy 3x a week. For the past 3 months Clark hasn’t worked with a speech therapist because his treatment team thought it would be best if Clark focused his full amount of energy on his physical therapies. However, as a family we work with Clark everyday on simple speech exercises to help improve his short-term memory.
We are so incredibly grateful for the support that has been given to Clark through prayers, kind words, fb shares and generous donations. Through the support of family and friends Clark has been able to receive excellent treatment. Clark still has a long road ahead of him, and will continue to need therapy for many more months. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers, and share his GoFundMe page so we can continue to raise funds for him. Thank you!
Organizer
Paige Singleton Lopez
Organizer
Springfield, MO
