Hi everyone, my name is Brayden, and I had never imagined having to write something like this about my best friend, my dad.

I got a call that no one is ever really prepared for. It came from my dad’s contact, but when I answered, it was an unfamiliar voice, a stranger, a social worker calling from a hospital in Los Angeles. In that moment, everything felt like it had taken a pause. They told me my dad had been found unconscious at work near an electrical panel. As soon as they told me he was in the hospital, I rushed out of the house and got to him as fast as I could.

When I got to the hospital, I had to rush down a long hallway, knowing my dad was going to be there but not knowing in what kind of state. It felt like time slowed down and was never going to unpause again. Everything was a big blur, filling out long forms, trying to comprehend what was even happening, trying to understand how this could happen. Why my dad? How could I have not been there sooner? But I knew I had to hold it all together, hold it in enough to call my siblings, who live hours away, to tell them they needed to come home to us as soon as possible. It was one of the most stressful and heartbreaking moments our family has ever faced.

The doctors told us my dad had suffered a stroke, along with multiple brain bleeds, and then experienced another stroke shortly after arriving at the hospital. Since then, everything has changed.

My dad, Jeremy, is a proud Navy veteran who served for over a decade. He’s a hardworking electrician, a father of four, and now a brand new grandfather to a beautiful baby girl. He has always been strong and independent, but right now he cannot even speak and is unable to move on his own.

He has lost his independence and cannot advocate for himself, so our family has been by his side every single day. This means sleeping at the hospital, barely going home, just so that he can feel some sort of peace and feel safe and cared for. It has been very exhausting, an emotional and overwhelming rollercoaster, but we will NOT leave him.

He has started physical therapy and is slowly regaining some strength day by day, which gives us hope. He has recently been moved to a rehabilitation facility, where we are praying he continues to improve. But he still has a long road ahead and is not able to speak or move enough to take care of himself. At the same time, our family is facing a huge financial burden. We are currently receiving no financial assistance, and the medical bills, ongoing care, and daily expenses are becoming overwhelming.

My dad has always been the one to take care of my siblings and me, and now we are trying to take care of him.

If you are able to donate, anything helps more than we can put into words. All donations will go toward medical expenses such as ER transportation and the multi-day stays, medications for treatment, ongoing therapy and rehabilitation such as physical and speech therapy, and funds to help with food and necessities that will be needed once Jeremy, my dad, is able to come back home to us. As my siblings will be his primary caregivers, we will have to take a leave of absence from our jobs and face a loss of income.

And if you cannot donate, sharing this would mean just as much to our family!

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for any support you can give during this incredibly challenging and difficult time. Please keep our family in your prayers