Hi, my name is Lex Tracton. I am 23 years old and am a current Urban Planning graduate student at the University of Central Florida. On Wednesday, 4/1/26, I saved my father’s life. Nobody had heard from him in a few days. Texts not delivering, calls straight to voicemail. I knew something was wrong. I called the Broward Sheriff Department to conduct a wellness check. They forced entry and found my Daddy laying on the ground, unable to move. It’s unclear how long he was there but my estimate is a week or so.

My father had an acute stroke due to atrial fibrillation he had no clue about. My father was let go from his job awhile back due to company restructuring and he lost his health insurance, rendering him unable to afford medical care. He has been living off of his savings since.

My father has been in the hospital for the past week. His left side is paralyzed and he will hopefully be going to a rehabilitation center soon, which is dependent on a facility willing to take in an uninsured person. My father is likely to need some form of assistance at home for the rest of his life. He is only 53.

His cats, my childhood cats, also had to be rushed to the emergency vet. One of them is has to be on a myriad of medication and prescription food. I am going to be the caretaker for the cats for awhile. Hopefully they can be reunited with my father eventually. I am already caring for my own cat who is asthmatic and has feline immunodeficiency virus.

My grandparents have been able to assist with paying for the vet and replacement lock on the door, but there are a lot of unexpected expenses coming our way. My father’s home needs to be cleaned by hazardous materials cleaners. My father will need medical assistance and rehab. My childhood cats will need continuous veterinary care. I will need help paying my own bills, as I have had to take some unpaid leave. I basically live paycheck to paycheck as a full time worker and full time graduate student.

I am working on getting financial assistance for the hospital bill and rehabilitation, as well as applying for Medicaid for my father. However, there are going to be a lot of expenses that cannot be covered by government assistance.

My father has sacrificed a lot to raise me. My parents divorced when I was very young and my mother who was my primary caretaker, passed away from cancer when I was 5. My father stepped in to raise me. He’s faced a lot of challenges himself but always did the best for me. He’s always been wicked smart, practical, hilarious, a computer whiz, a lover of all animals, a fan of electronic dance music, interested in sports cars, and above all a genuinely kind-hearted person. I always like to joke that he’s cooler than me since he has gone to music festivals I have never been to. He is the best Daddy I could ask for and I love him more than anything. I want to make sure he gets the care that he needs to recover as best as possible.

I understand that finances are difficult for most everyone right now, so if you are unable to contribute financially, send good energy our way. Thank you for your time, consideration, and kind thoughts. I am grateful for the support my grandparents, uncle, family friends, and other friends have already demonstrated. I could not do this alone without them.