I have THREE FRIENDS. I want to tell you about two of them.

On Tuesday night, Brandon and Amanda were watching TV. Brandon had his head in Amanda’s lap. He asked her a question and she didn’t answer. He looked up at her and she had a strange look on her face. He thought she was trying to be funny.

She was not. An aneurysm in Amanda’s brain had ruptured. Of course Brandon didn’t know this yet; he just knew that the girl he loved, who he had been talking to only a moment earlier, was suddenly unresponsive.

At the hospital, it turned out Amanda had three aneurysms. She has no (relevant) prior medical history. On Wednesday, the doctors operated. It went on for hours longer than expected. But she came out of it okay. Later that night, tubes removed, finally conscious again, she spoke for the first time. “Am I going to die?”

When an aneurysm ruptures, the mortality rate is approximately 50%. I think that question would have broken me. Because I have been (and remain) very scared of this possibility. But Brandon told her she is not going to die. And he asked her if she knew who he was. “Baby?” she replied.

Regaining consciousness, recognizing Brandon - these are very good signs. Amanda’s short-term memory right now is not great. But at any point in the last two days, she could have suffered so much worse. And we’re far from out of the woods.

Right now, Amanda needs medical transport to Tampa because Sarasota doesn’t have a neuro ICU. She still needs at least two more operations. We’re likely at least three months away from a meaningful prognosis.

Now, let me tell you what kind of a person Amanda is and what Amanda means to me.

I met Amanda when she started dating Brandon nine years ago. I was introduced to her as Brandon’s crazy, strung out childhood-friend who was (then) about two weeks clean off heroin. But Amanda was a case worker for accused criminals deemed unfit to stand trial due to mental illness. So I was RIGHT IN HER WHEELHOUSE. She was NOT FAZED by my manic energy.

Flash forward to early 2024. I’ve been in a downward spiral for years and find myself with nowhere left to go.

Amanda and Brandon take me in (and NOT FOR THE FIRST TIME). Other people tell them they are making a mistake. “Sam’s not going to get clean. Get him out of your house.”

Amanda and Brandon disregard this advice. I make a concrete plan to get clean and Amanda holds me to it. Now, more than two years later, I have the kind of life I no longer thought was possible for me. No part of that happens without Amanda and Brandon. The two of them supported me when I was at my lowest point. They housed me. Fed me. Encouraged me every step of the way. They are the best friends anyone could ever hope to find.

I love to tell Amanda, Brandon, (and our friend Nick) that WE ARE THE ONLY FRIENDS THAT WE HAVE. But that’s nonsense. We are the beneficiaries of friendships and love, bigger and more widespread than I can even articulate.

It’s my hope that this campaign will show her just how true that is.

Every donation to this campaign will cover immediate and urgent needs:

-Medical transport to Tampa

-Neuro ICU costs

-Surgeries

-Rehabilitation

-Other unexpected and ongoing expenses of Amanda’s recovery

If you’re able to donate, please do. If you can’t, PLEASE SHARE. Write your own posts about Amanda, make your own videos about Amanda, tell your stories about Amanda, or just spread this page around. Everything helps.

Thank you for your time and attention.