This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write.

In June, my husband, Brian, was diagnosed with severe Aphasia. This is a language disorder of the brain. It affects speech and comprehension of understanding speech. While that in itself is horrendous, it takes other important things away like working and driving, reading and writing, all things that are a huge part of life. At 58 years old, this has blindsided Brian and our family.

This morning we were told more difficult and heartbreaking news, Brian also has moderate to severe early onset dementia. In simple terms, this will take my husband, our boys’ father, his being a first-time grandfather, a brother, and a friend, to a place far away.

Having worked all of his life in advertising and since the loss of his job years back, he was not able to find anything other than delivering food due to this taking hold so the end in salary and insurance benefits from his Ad job has been catastrophic for us. We lost our home and savings. The decline in his being able to bring some income in lately and then none hit hard and fast. I work with Alzheimer’s and Dementia clients as a caregiver, but my lone salary won’t cover cost of living. I am scrambling to get ahead of bills and have an emergency fund if we need it. I have S.S. Disability for Brian started, but that takes time to qualify. Medicaid has thankfully helped but we worry about changes. We were gifted a car by an amazing group of friends a few years back, but we now have to find another due to the end of its lifespan. I’m also looking for section 8 housing to downsize considerably (it is closed at the moment) as a low-cost apartment is needed. We’ve thankfully been given 30 married years together, however, we never dreamed something like this would happen. Each day pulls him a bit farther across the room from us.

We empathize in that many of you may be feeling your own squeeze of economic strife and this makes it all the harder to ask but if there is anything you can do to help us, while we are deeply ashamed to even ask, we are in a desperate place.

Please feel free to contact me on FB messaging for any additional info or questions as our life is an open book. We all have full plates in one way or another. I certainly do not mean to make it seem that only ours is overflowing. And those of you who have helped us along the way please know that we are very grateful.

Please say some prayers for us and our family as you are always in ours. And know we are very thankful for you and any help you can offer.

Love, Sue & Brian