John's Recovery
Donation protected
On February 5th, 2017 – my best friend and love suffered a massive stroke while watching Super Bowl LI from his living room couch. Through God’s providence, John was not alone that night and able to crawl to his brother’s room for help.
Unbeknownst to him and the rest of his family, images of John’s brain showed that – at only 32 years of age – this was the third stroke of his lifetime. Due to its severity, John has been left with serious physical and speech impairments – immediately suffering a right-side deficit that resulted in paralysis of the right arm and leg – leaving him mute and unable to walk.
A longstanding competitive athlete, with accolades in basketball and volleyball, John has applied his former training and skills to his recovery. Dedicating three hours a day to exercising at his local gym, John practices cross patterns and range of motion exercises on his own – following a loss of medical coverage for inpatient and outpatient hospital rehabilitation therapies.
Although he has made progress physically, John is still unable to speak, or write. Social media emojis and memes have become his new-found forms of expression with occasional phrases like: “I love you” and “family”.
Despite the stroke having decimated the front, left part of his brain, John’s intellect has remained intact. He is still the same John – still the same kind, gentle-hearted spirit, confidant, and friend. He holds all memories prior to his stroke and cares for everyone the same. As many who love him know, John has never been one to complain and even in this deeply traumatic experience, his character remains the same. Through it all: the month long hospital internment, therapies, losing his autonomy – the right to care for himself, and the frustrations of not being understood, John has kept the same contagious smile.
Prior to his stroke, John assisted physicians at a treatment clinic in Tampa – sharing his encouraging spirit and uplifting demeanor with others, as he offered support to patients suffering from life-long illnesses. Considering the circumstances, John is currently unable to return to work. As a family, we are collecting donations to assist in his recovery. All donations raised will be applied to his rehabilitation and outstanding medical bills, as a means of relieving the outside stresses he is faced with.
In this month there is so much to be thankful for – primarily life and family. John is so thankful for the love of his friends, teammates, and those who have cared for him throughout this journey. We, his family, are thankful that he survived that night and is with us today.
We greatly appreciate everyone’s prayers. Thank you so much for your consideration <3
Unbeknownst to him and the rest of his family, images of John’s brain showed that – at only 32 years of age – this was the third stroke of his lifetime. Due to its severity, John has been left with serious physical and speech impairments – immediately suffering a right-side deficit that resulted in paralysis of the right arm and leg – leaving him mute and unable to walk.
A longstanding competitive athlete, with accolades in basketball and volleyball, John has applied his former training and skills to his recovery. Dedicating three hours a day to exercising at his local gym, John practices cross patterns and range of motion exercises on his own – following a loss of medical coverage for inpatient and outpatient hospital rehabilitation therapies.
Although he has made progress physically, John is still unable to speak, or write. Social media emojis and memes have become his new-found forms of expression with occasional phrases like: “I love you” and “family”.
Despite the stroke having decimated the front, left part of his brain, John’s intellect has remained intact. He is still the same John – still the same kind, gentle-hearted spirit, confidant, and friend. He holds all memories prior to his stroke and cares for everyone the same. As many who love him know, John has never been one to complain and even in this deeply traumatic experience, his character remains the same. Through it all: the month long hospital internment, therapies, losing his autonomy – the right to care for himself, and the frustrations of not being understood, John has kept the same contagious smile.
Prior to his stroke, John assisted physicians at a treatment clinic in Tampa – sharing his encouraging spirit and uplifting demeanor with others, as he offered support to patients suffering from life-long illnesses. Considering the circumstances, John is currently unable to return to work. As a family, we are collecting donations to assist in his recovery. All donations raised will be applied to his rehabilitation and outstanding medical bills, as a means of relieving the outside stresses he is faced with.
In this month there is so much to be thankful for – primarily life and family. John is so thankful for the love of his friends, teammates, and those who have cared for him throughout this journey. We, his family, are thankful that he survived that night and is with us today.
We greatly appreciate everyone’s prayers. Thank you so much for your consideration <3
Organizer and beneficiary
Raquel Alves Boudreau
Organizer
Tampa, FL
Sylvia Benning
Beneficiary
