Hello everyone,

My name is Mat, and I am the youngest son of Ray and Brenda Nolan. I am writing this to let you know the challenges that are currently facing my parents. If you have ever known Ray or Brenda, one of the things that stands out most about them is their willingness to help others even if it meant they had to make sacrifices. They both are the most kind, caring, and giving souls I have met, and now due to Brenda's health concerns, I am asking for help for Ray and Brenda since they have given so much to others.

On July 4th, 2024, Brenda was hospitalized in Mary Lanning Healthcare Hospital due to complications arising from diabetic ketoacidosis. After she was hospitalized, she experienced a seizure and subsequent cardiac arrest but was able to be resuscitated. After this, Brenda was kept in a medically induced coma to help her heal from her initial concerns. She has since been brought out of her medically induced coma, and is still in the ICU. Her progress initially looked promising, but due to uncertainty related to potential infections and seizures, her progress has slowed and she is experiencing difficulty in her healing journey. There is a high likelihood for needing ongoing care, and will likely need to be discharged to a rehabilitation facility to help her continue healing when she is able to be discharged from the ICU. If Brenda is needing to be discharged to a rehabilitation facility, this could be a further drive for Ray, so this fundraiser will also be used to ensure that he can be close to Brenda if she is discharged to a rehabilitation facility further away.

Because of Brenda's hospitalization and likelihood of needing ongoing supports, my parents are facing several issues that they need help with. First and foremost that my parents are looking for is locating new housing for themselves around Grand Island, NE to be closer to medical providers and family supports. Ray has been looking for housing options that they are able to afford, however, due to demand for housing, he has been experiencing difficulty in this area. If they are unable to secure new housing, and when Brenda is able to be discharged to return home, their current home will need improvements to help to make it ready to support her continued recovery. This includes cleaning of the home, renovations to home including redoing their bathroom and bedroom, and also ensuring that they have a new roof on their home as their current roof is past the end of its life. These renovations will go a long way to helping ensure the home is ready to support Brenda and her potential home health services she may need. Ray and Brenda also have outstanding medical debt they are needing to cover, as well as other bills that due to Brenda being hospitalized, they are struggling to meet. Another major challenge is that with several areas of their life, such as grocery shopping, meals, etc., Ray is having to balance this on his own while being at the hospital to support Brenda. With Ray having to drive a half hour every day to the hospital to be there to support Brenda, he will also need assistance with gas money.

What is leading me to create this fundraiser is that my parents have devoted their lives to caring for others even when there have been costs to them. The biggest example of this is that by the time the last of their children were ready to leave the house and when Ray and Brenda were ready to lead the life of empty nesters, they made the decisions to adopt and raise my sister, Tabby, and I who were their grandchildren by birth. They sacrificed moving into the next stage of their lives to care for us as their own children because Tabby and I needed a stable home and care. They devoted 28 years of their should be life without kids to care for us. After Tabby and I graduated and moved out, they chose to welcome another grandson into their home to provide a roof over his head and to provide care for him up until early in 2024. They have sacrificed so much of their life in devotion to helping family and others, that they do not have much to live off of with the exception of Social Security Income and the honey that Ray sells as a small side business. Because of their sacrifices they have made, it has put them in their current spot where financial help is needed to help ensure that Brenda's medical needs are met, and to be sure that everything is situated that allows Ray to be able to support Brenda as much as possible. That is why I am turning to you to help our family support Ray and Brenda as much as they have helped to support others around them.