Steve's Path to Healing

On Friday January 24th, one day after his birthday, Steve wasn’t feeling great and fainted in his home and was rushed to the hospital. Upon arrival it was determined that because of his fall, his C4 and C5 were the parts of his cervical spine that were fractured. It was also quickly realized that he had lost all sensation throughout his body below his shoulders. He underwent his first spinal surgery on Saturday January 25th which was a C3-C6 fusion and laminectomy. Although the surgery went well, he did not regain sensation or movement, and his medical team opted to perform a second surgery on Wednesday January 29th. This surgery went well, and his surgeon felt that there was now a chance of him regaining arm function in the future.

Throughout his first five days in the hospital Steve still was fighting the same bug that he went in with. It was discovered that he is Covid positive, which has been a setback in his recovery. Rather than working with physical therapists’ post-surgery to strengthen his muscles and reteach his brain how to send movement signals to his arms, he has been working with respiratory therapists to strengthen his lungs and breathe independently. This has been nothing short of an uphill battle for Sue and Steve.

When Steve was first admitted to the hospital, one of the questions his doctors asked was what his range of motion and activity levels were like prior to his accident so they could set realistic goals for his recovery. To his family and close friends this sounded like a ridiculous question! Steve is ACTIVE! He loves to take walks, race his grandkids on the beach, chop firewood, fiddle with projects around the house, go on trips and enjoy concerts with his wife, Sue. It wasn’t until we all realized that the doctors were asking us this because on paper Steve is actually 72 years old. We had to constantly reiterate that his body and mind are that of a man decades younger and he was doing everything a 50 year old could do prior to his accident.

At this present point in time, we are still in limbo. There are many different medical roads ahead of us, and it is too soon to tell which direction we will be pointed in. The main focus right now is getting Steve’s lungs strong enough to work on their own without the respirator’s assistance.

We are raising funds to help offset the cost of surgeries, the hospital stay, inpatient rehab, and all of the accessibility modifications that will need to be made in their lives before Sue will be able to bring her Steve home. We have high hopes that Steve’s stubbornness and inability to sit still will be the ticket he needs to prove his doctors wrong and power through all the obstacles set against him! Steve has 6 adoring grandkids who need their Poppy back!

Above all, we are asking for prayers. Prayers for Steve and his recovery. Prayers for Sue and her strength during this tragic and stressful time in her life. Prayers for Steve’s medical team of surgeons, doctors, nurses and therapists who are holding the patriarch of our family’s future in their hands. Prayers for a miracle of any magnitude.

We will post weekly updates on this page, sometimes sooner if deemed necessary. We thank each and every one of you for any donations, prayers and shares during this difficult time.