Starting October 21st, my dad (Tom) began having pounding migraines any time he sat up. At first, we thought it was just a bad day, but when he was still struggling the next day, we knew something wasn’t right. We went to a walk-in clinic and tested for Covid, RSV, and flu—the whole trifecta—but everything came back negative. They told us to just take some Tylenol and hydrate, thinking it was a short-term cold. By the 23rd, things were getting worse, so we went to the hospital. Scans showed some fluid near the base of his head, and because our local hospital doesn’t handle neuro cases, we transferred to a hospital where both mine and my mom’s neurologists work. They ran every test—CT, MRI, spinal taps—but everything came back clear. He was cleared to go home on the 28th and told to follow up with his primary doctor.

But on the 29th into the 30th, he started to slur his words. At first, I thought it was just because he’d woken from a nap, but by morning, he was still slurring. Since my mom had a stroke in 2023, I wanted to be cautious. We went to another hospital, where they immediately saw a brain bleed and swelling. On November 2nd, he became very lethargic, and they saw serious swelling, so he had a craniotomy. He recovered well, but on the 6th, he started struggling again, and another scan showed more pressure, so he had a second craniotomy. Now, he’s started rehab close to the hospital.

Even while taking care of my mom full-time after her stroke, I’m running back and forth 35 minutes each way to spend time with my dad, going through a tank of gas every 3 to 4 days. On top of that, I’m handling food for me and my mom, which has mostly been quick meals or takeout because of exhaustion. All of my extra money from my paychecks has gone to this, putting me behind on my own medical bills from regular appointments and working on getting a diagnosis from my endocrinologist. I’m still playing catch up from a large amount in bills from my cat getting diagnosed with FIP in August and the medications and appointments since then. It feels like I’m always on the edge, constantly overdrawing my account just to get by.

I’ve always been someone to help my friends. I try to avoid asking for help, but as this goes on, I know I can’t handle it alone. And anyone that has known my dad knows how much he's been helping me lately and how much he's done in our sports community over the years. Anything and everything helps at this point to take just a little bit of stress off my plate as I focus on taking care of my mom and the house, and helping to support my dad on his road to recovery. I appreciate anyone taking the time to hear my story—it means a lot in this rough time.