Damien's Stroke Fund

At the end of February, I had a snowboarding accident and thought nothing of the stiffness in my right neck and shoulder. Nearly two weeks later, I woke up early in the morning on Thursday, unable to move my entire body. Later that morning, I was admitted to the ER; after having multiple tests and scans performed, I was initially diagnosed with a rare neurological disease. Unable to flex my toes or clench my fists, I was admitted into the neurology floor later that day. Multiple scans and thirty-six hours later, the doctors confirmed that I had experienced a stroke due to a vertebral artery dissection as a result of the snowboarding injury I sustained two weeks prior. Blood thinners and cane in hand, I was discharged from the hospital the following Sunday afternoon. Although, walking was laborious and the whole left side of my body felt numb; every day I woke up feeling better, yet, experienced a major setback that Wednesday.


I woke up feeling better than I had all week, but experienced excruciating pain on the right side of my neck into my head near noon that day. Unable to get comfortable or placate the pain, I was rushed to the ER that afternoon. When I was admitted, I was not able to walk or talk as I was solely focused on breathing and staying aware of my surroundings.  My heart rate was at 35 beats per a minute when I was triaged—I was immediately rushed into a CT scan.  Somewhere in the middle of the CT scan, I experienced relief from the agonizing pain in my skull. When the neuro-interventionist met with me later that day, he stated that while he was unsure of the exact culprit of my pain, he assumed that I had experienced a blood clot being pushed through my artery. As a result, I was placed into the ICU for a night and remained in the hospital until the following Monday afternoon.


I am humbly asking assistance from my friends and family to assist in covering some of the costs I’ve incurred from my diagnosis, staying in the hospital for nearly two weeks (the most expensive hotel ever), and the on-going treatments, medication, and appointments that I will experience over the next year. 

 
Anything helps—even the smallest amount is greatly appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for donating to Damien's Stroke Fund, I hope to see you all in the coming year: cane-less, blood-thinner-less, and beer in hand.