On February 23rd, 2026, Brad got a minor cut on his knuckle. Within hours, his hand was swollen and red lines appeared, prompting a visit to urgent care. He was admitted for seven days with necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating infection. Surgery was performed to clean out the infection, and he was treated by an infectious disease doctor. Due to insurance issues, Brad had to switch hospitals and continue care at Beloit Health System. After a 21-day course of strong antibiotics, he was told the infection was gone, but it returned a week later. On April 8th, 2026, Brad was admitted again, and another surgery was performed. This time, a piece of his bone was removed for testing. Fortunately, the infection hadn't reached the bone, but it had deteriorated it, meaning Brad will need pins in his finger in the future. Oral antibiotics are no longer strong enough to fight the infection.

On April 13th, 2026, Brad was told that the picc line antibiotic was covered by insurance, but after the line was placed, insurance declined coverage. Now, the only way it can be covered is if Brad pays out of pocket for several weeks, leaving him in limbo about how to treat the infection moving forward.

The funds will help cover Brad’s medical bills and ongoing treatment, including surgeries, hospital stays, future procedures to repair his finger, and the cost of the picc line antibiotics that insurance will not cover.

We really do appreciate everyone’s love and support during this difficult time. Just a little help would make a big difference for Brad.