Support Brad "Strommer" Strom's Fight for Life

This is for my husband, Brad Strom. He's my world. Brad has always been known by many things: Dad, grandpa, friend, brother, family man, mechanic, tinkerer, semi-truck driver, lover of sports, lover of our lake place, a fighter that doesn't know how to stop even when he should, more recently a beater of odds, and for me, the love of my life. For a man that is rarely sick, this last winter he had a couple of good month-long coughs that he went in for but 'nothing was wrong' with him. In spring, he started feeling off. By the beginning of summer, he was running out of steam much sooner than normal, which progressed to severe abdominal pain, exhaustion, and tightness in his chest. We went in on 7/21/24 to the ER expecting to hear stomach ulcers, here's some meds, and follow up in a couple of weeks. Nope. He was admitted into the Sanford hospital. As his body struggled to keep making enough blood and then platelets, infusions followed. It was suspected he had acquired MDS, also known as pre-leukemia. Technically not cancerous but is dealt with the same as if it were. But the rest of the symptoms didn't add up. He was transferred to the Broadway location on 8/2/24 to start discussions with the MDS specialists there while they continued to figure out what the rest of the symptoms were caused by. By the morning of 8/3/24, I walked into him struggling to breathe. His oxygen was dropping rapidly and he started A-fib and was immediately rushed to the ICU where he was put on a ventilator under a medically induced coma. Three days later, his body was crashing and he was life-flighted to the University hospital in Minneapolis to save his life. I grabbed clothes and left with the shoes on my feet and spent the next month living in a hotel just a few blocks away because I didn't feel comfortable being any further away in the event of an emergency. There, he was confirmed with MDS, UBA1 version with the genetic P35. Translation: the worst possible MDS one could get that mutates rapidly. Treatment: chemo as if it were cancerous with the hopes of a stem cell or full bone marrow transplant down the road. The missing piece was determined that the MDS had triggered HLH, extreme acute inflammation. Either of these individually left untreated is 100% fatal. This particular combo is 80-90% fatal with treatment. Brad was kept heavily sedated and received a double dose of chemo for 1 week, and his body could only handle another 3 days of one chemo. Every effort was used to save his life, up to but not including an ECMO machine. Brad endured a small mini-stroke and 5 microscopic brain bleeds. He received so many units of blood and platelets that I lost count. He received continuous dialysis, multiple CTs, and MRIs. With the help of multiple teams and some amazing nurses, we were able to pull Brad out of sedation after 2+ weeks. The HLH loves Brad's lungs first and his kidneys second. He kept wanting to fight and we were able to get him stable enough that he was de-vented and transitioned to intermittent dialysis. Amazing day only to develop a mucus plug sitting on top of his airway 4 days later. Emergency re-venting. He now holds the record for the largest mucus plug in the hospital's MICU, the size of a golf ball. After some conversations, it was clear that the most important team, the cancer doctors, were unwilling to administer any more chemo at any time in the future. I requested Brad to be transferred back home to Fargo. Exactly 1 month to the day, 9/6/24, he was flown back to Sanford via their medivac plane. Think private 8-seater jet with all the medical equipment he could possibly need. That day also seems to be the day that chemo finally left his system, and all those bloodwork numbers began to climb. Platelets up. White blood count up. Kidney function numbers down—this is good. Red blood count and hemoglobin up, but at a slower rate. At home, he received his trach as the vent was holding his progress back. Against all odds, he improved so much that he was given the opportunity to be admitted into Vibra, an acute long-term care hospital, located within Sanford where he has been receiving continued medical care and PT/OT in addition. This amazing husband of mine doesn't know the details, but knows he's been very, very sick, has MDS, had chemo, and nearly died on me twice. His carrot to keep fighting is to return to our lake place, his ultimate happy place, and the 2nd grandbaby on the way. His road to recovery is very long. He's lost approximately 40 pounds of muscle mass. His body is having to relearn everything from simple swallowing to walking. There will be extensive rehab and constant monitoring of his bloodwork. The HLH can rear its head at any point in time. The MDS is not fully killed off. He can't receive any more chemo until his body gets some weight on. Even then, we won't know if he can handle another round, or if we're looking at maintenance chemo. The blood and cancer doctors here have not closed the door, which we appreciate, but will continue to monitor for next steps as we progress. He continues to fight like he always does and push through to the next goal, and the next, and the next. Medical statistics only count so much. Never ever underestimate the human will to live and thrive!!

Throughout all of this, his STD would not speak to me without a POA or verification from Brad himself...while in a coma. Seven weeks later, we got that POA completed and are waiting for this company to approve. My FMLA is covering me, but my STD does not pay unless it's me with the medical issue. All of our vacation and sick time have been used. There has been no paycheck coming in since the middle of August. I have had to make financial decisions I never dreamt I'd have to make. I can't pay the medical bills prior to the deductible being met. Our mortgages have been placed in forbearance temporarily so we don't lose them but only for 2 more months. Credit cards can only work with you so much. Basic home needs like electricity and water are now in jeopardy. I have managed to finagle things as far as I have, but there is just no more money left. The most important bill is to maintain Brad's health insurance payments; the rest of the bills fall in line after that. Ramen noodles fill the tummy void, but not the gas tank or the bills that are just compounding. I hate asking for help. I have my pride. But I also know I'm at a crossroad and I need to return to work, but I need to meet with the doctors daily, but I need to tend to our homes and our dogs, but I need to sleep, but I need to, I need to, I need to... the list is long and I'm only one person. Your assistance will help with the accumulating bills currently as well as those that I know are coming within the next 2-3 months.

I need help for us. Most importantly, I need help for Brad.