Spencer's Legacy

The morning of April 1st, 2018, a sudden noise and trembling woke up Lorena, who was sleeping peacefully along her husband Spencer. A quick glance confirmed to her that something was not right, as he was gasping and shuddering and completely unconscious. She raced outside the room, yelling down the hallway to wake up her three daughters. “Something is wrong with your dad!” she yelled at Niki, who immediately jumped up and raced to his room. Janelle came running down the hallway, while 14 year old AnnaLeah watched with wide eyes. Assessing the situation, Janelle called 911 while Niki started performing CPR on the bed. As the operator walked the sisters through CPR, AnnaLeah waited breathlessly outside for the ambulance. 9 agonizingly painful minutes later, life-saving paramedics burst through the doors to save Spencer’s life. He had just experienced Ventricular Fibrillation, a form of cardiac arrest that only 17% of people outside of the hospital survive. And everyone was left wondering what could possibly have caused this. 

After months of medical exams and visits to cardiologists, after having received a cardioverter defibrillator, and after a couple more scary heart episodes, there still wasn’t a clear answer as to why this had happened. Soon, they were visited by a well-known cardiologist. He thought he knew the answer, so Spencer was tested. The result: Spencer had a degenerative heart disease that would cause his heart to deteriorate and eventually fail within 10-20 years. This was devastating news to his family, but with heart procedures and possibilities, they were grateful and coping. 

In February of 2020, Spencer came down with a sickness resembling pneumonia. He was weak for days, and weakness in his speech thereafter suggested that he might have had a small stroke. Months passed, and his speech did not improve, even while tests ruled out a stroke. Eventually he started to have weakness in one of his hands. Lorena, knowing something was wrong, took him in for some tests. She expressed that she suspected ALS. The nurse reassured her that ALS was very rare, and it was not likely that it was the cause. Unfortunately, Lorena’s suspicions were proven correct, and Spencer was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Geurig’s disease, in August of 2020. 

This was not something they were prepared for. ALS is a disease that attacks the muscles and nerves in the body, and average life expectancy after diagnosis is about 3 years. Spencer had thought he had some fully-functioning years ahead of him, but the future has taken a bleak turn instead. 

Plans for trips to France, or rebuying Lorena’s dream home, or going on a religious mission, are now up in the air. Instead of enjoying time together, Spencer is now working overtime in order to leave his wife in a comfortable position. Complications with insurance, pension, social security, and a myriad of other hoops to jump through make dreams of new houses or exciting trips even more difficult. They both know they have to enjoy the time they have left, but financial responsibilities and complications are making that nearly impossible. 

With every passing day, though his speech gets worse, and his strength leaves him, he pushes through to leave behind a legacy and a life for his wife. As his children, we want to help him enjoy the time he has left and create new memories. But the many expenses, including pricey medical treatments, down payments, and needs for the future, feel overwhelming to all of us. He is paying thousands every month, just for medical expenses, despite having good insurance. And to make sure Lorena has a home to live in once Spencer passes, they now have a down payment to take care of. But Spencer still practices French on his Duolingo app every day, in hopes that next year they can finally take their long-awaited anniversary trip. 

We are his children.  He and Lorena could never ask for help, though they desperately need it.  Hesitantly, we reach out to you, to anyone who can help them relieve some of that financial burden. We don’t know how much time we have left with our father, but he deserves the world, since that is what he has given us. We hope to give them a gift that matters: new and beautiful memories as they enjoy whatever time they have left. We would love to relieve some of their financial burden as their gift for Christmas.  They have no idea, nor do we plan to tell them until then. If you would like to help us with this gift, please donate to making this Christmas special.

***WARNING!!*** If you've read this far we know you are thinking about sharing and donating...  PLEASE if you are friends or family of Spencer THIS IS A SECRET.  Him and his wife are UNAWARE and we want to keep it that way.  This is a SURPRISE!!  Please help us surprise them :)  We appreciate your understanding!