I am reaching out in hope that we can help Lou continue his recovery. On January 23rd, 2022, our lives changed forever. Lou fell down our basement stairs. On that Sunday, as I was feeding our son lunch, I heard three bangs that sounded like he slipped a couple of steps. Instead of a frustrated yell, I heard complete silence. I ran to see what happened and found Lou in the fetal position on the concrete floor facing the wall. He was not responsive. As I turned him over, there was no bleeding; he started snoring but would not wake up. I immediately iced and elevated his head. I called 911 immediately, and they rushed him to Strong Memorial Hospital. Within four hours, we got the news that Lou was in a coma. Because of the swelling, the doctor had to put a metal rod in his head to relieve the pressure, but that meant he could not do any testing—no MRI or CT because of the metal. We were left in the dark for 10 days until he woke up. He slowly started moving his fingers, his toes, and within a couple of weeks, he was able to move his arms and legs. Lou was in the hospital for 62 days recovering from this traumatic brain injury. Once home, as a family, we helped Lou get around the house, and within six weeks, he was able to walk around the block with his cane. Two months later, he was able to walk around the block. Things started to look up, and he was back to work for the winter season. Because of his traumatic brain injury, he has a psychiatrist to prescribe medication for anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Many patients with TBI need mood stabilizers. Hormones are all thrown off, and many end up with emotional ups and downs. Bouts of laughter, bouts of crying, bouts of anger, sometimes. However, in January 2024, things started to go downhill fast. He was having muscle spasms in his legs, was not able to support himself or walk without falling. He struggled all year to get his strength back, but there were no answers to why he regressed so badly. We have spent all year working on physical therapy, mental health therapy, occupational therapy, and still, things were getting worse. Needless to say, work was no longer an option. With help from our family friends and some government assistance we were able to make it three years . This past year February he was diagnosed with drug induced Parkinsonism. His condition mimics Parkinson’s disease. The symptoms progress much faster than if he had the disease. However, it is treatable . He has been taken off all mood stabilizers, and is currently in the hospital doing intense and patient physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech pathology. All of the hard work he did three years ago needs to be done all over again. The difference now from 2022 is the fear of falling on top of the actual physical troubles he is facing.The doctors cannot say for sure if symptoms will completely go away or partially or what the outcome may be, but lots of doctors visits are necessary to get him back to where he was. We now know the cause, and he is receiving treatment at the hospital.. We are so thankful that this is a semi-treatable condition. However, this traumatic brain injury is a whole has taken a lot out of us in every way. We have been blessed to have tremendous support from our families over the years helping with bills and taking turns taking care of

Lou. He does not qualify for home healthcare so I have had to cut my hours to part time for now . we have blown through savings, and regrettably borrowed $5000 from our 13-year-old sons college fund. We have applied for Assistance with New York State, we now qualify for HEAP to help with Rge, and got denied for disability due to his on and off work. We are asking for any little bit of help to keep our home and business until Lou can get back and function again. He needs 24 hr care/supervision and it is impossible to find extra help. He has done it before, and with time and hard work I know he can do it again. We are desperately trying to save our home. Just months away from bankruptcy and homeless. Please help!