Michael Campanelli’s Stroke Recovery Fund

Dear friends, friends of friends, and cherished family, I am writing this today to tell you a little bit about my dad. My hopes are that you might take the time to read about who he is and the struggles he is going through currently. My dad(Michael Campanelli), is a good and honest man. He is a man of the church and a lovely family man. He has 4 children and 2 grandchildren who love him dearly. For as long as I can remember, my dad has been the hardest worker. The kind of man who was willing to run himself into the ground to provide for his family. He always seem to find the time however, to make life adventurous. He has left me with numerous amounts of memories of all the simple joys in life that would bring us together for family time. With that being said, my father has also faced many trials and tribulations along the way. In 2011, I had the scare of a lifetime. Merely months before my wedding, my dad had a major heart attack which led to a quadruple bypass open heart surgery. I can’t remember many times in my life that I was more afraid then I had been in that moment. I remember standing by his bed as he cried because he was barely able to move. But being the resilient man he is, he got himself better so he could walk his little girl down the aisle. He promised he would. He made good on that promise. A couple years later, he had another heart attack. He bounced back from that one pretty quickly. Heart attacks are something I’ve come to accept with his heart disease but what I hadn’t expected was the phone call I got two weeks ago... While looking through the window at my youngest daughter at gymnastics, I received a call from my sister. I remember her saying “I don’t want you to freak out but dad had a stroke and is In the hospital.” It took merely seconds before my eyes filled with tears. I looked at my little girl and hoped with everything in me that I wouldn’t have to tell her that papa was gone. And then there was my oldest. What would I say to her? They share the same birthday. They have a unique bond...what would I say to her? So I rushed to the hospital as fast as I could. I had no idea what to expect. When I got there, they had confirmed it was indeed a stroke. He had a blood clot in his brain and lost most of his vision. Because he did not realize he was having symptoms of a stroke, they got there too late for preventative medicine. They say he may never regain his vision. While my dad has always been the hardest of workers, he has always been a blue collar man. The family has seen many financial struggles over the years as many do. Because of his work ethic, they were always able to make it work but when he got the news about his vision, he had to leave his job. So while we are feeling more than blessed that he is alive and not paralyzed, he is going to have many stresses financially. This is very hard for him. He is not one to ask for a penny. I was lucky I was able to convince him to allow me to post this. But with my dads heart being so fragile, I am living in fear that the stress could be too much for his heart. So I am asking ever so gently for your help. You would forever have my gratitude. I know that may not mean a whole lot but just know that there are two little girls(perfect little girls) who are not ready to lose their papa. We want to take as much of the burden off of him as we possibly can. We ask no more than anyone is capable of. Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you times a million for anything your able to contribute. Even if it’s just prayers, well wishes, or shares on others page to get the word out. From the bottom of my heart, His little girl..Ilea Grant