Support Lenny's Healing Journey

Hello Friends and Family

It's Tanner here and I just want to start off by thanking you for clicking on this fundraiser. We are putting together this gofundme to support our amazing dad and dear friend during these extremely hard times.

At the end of October Taylor and Tricia were here in colorado just a town over from where I live for a wedding and we decided it would be a perfect opportunity to get the family together so we invited Lenny to come out as well. My dad arrived here in colorado on the 24th and stayed at my apartment while Taylor and Tricia had wedding activities. The last 2 days of the trip we were all going to get together and do colorado things, but unfortunately life had different plans.

On the morning of October 26th I woke up to my dad having a seizure on my couch. I immediately called the paramedics and he was rushed to Swedish Medical Center in Englewood. Upon arriving at the emergency room the doctors had informed us that he had a brain aneurysm that had burst resulting in a level 4 brain bleed which caused a stroke and secondly the seizure. He was rushed to the operating room have emergency brain surgery to stop the bleeding on his brain. The doctors worked quickly to implant titanium coils into the aneurysm and control the bleeding. He also had a drain put into his head to relieve the pressure the excess fluid put on his brain. The ensure that he would safely deal with the injuries he sustained he was heavily sedated and put on a ventilator to protect his airways. For the next 2 days Taylor, Tricia, Elisabeth and I didn't leave his side.

A few days later the doctors removed the breathing machine and lowered the amount of sedation Lenny was on. He woke up still remembering who he was, where he was, and who we were. We were able to tell him how much we loved him and got to hear his voice again. We all breathed a huge sigh of relief as we thought that we had made it through the hardest part.

Upon returning to the hospital the next day we were informed that he was put back on the ventilator and sedated again because his brain was having vasospasm (a condition where the arteries constrict putting him at risk to have another aneurysm rupture). He remained in the Neuro ICU under sedation being carefully monitored for any seizure activity. Not too long after being reintubated we were given more unfortunate news that he had contracted pneumonia from intubation and was forming blood clots in his arms, legs and lungs. Another surgery was performed to put a stent in so prevent any clots from making their way to his heart.

Taylor had extended her stay to be there for my dad. We spend all hours at the hospital putting positive energy into the universe towards my dad's recovery. After 3 weeks the doctors slowly dropped the sedation and began to work towards removing the breathing machine. He was eventually cleared from the ICU and moved to the trauma unit so wait for transfer to a rehab facility.

What was initially supposed to be a short monitoring period turned into a 6 week stay due to the fact that his medical insurance only covered care in california. Going back to california was not an option and we had to rush to figured out getting him on the correct medical plan to get his covered in Colorado. we were able to switch him to a tradition plan but unfortunately we had to wait until the new year before coverage would kick in.

Finally on January 4th Lenny was transferred to Littleton Care and Rehab, a skilled nursing facility, to begin working towards getting back to himself. He is currently doing Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Occupational therapy 5 times a week. He has been able to improve his speech slightly but the ventilator caused damage to his vocal cords. He hasn't been able to stand or walk yet but is able to feed himself and use his arms and hands.

The time has come for Taylor, Elisabeth, and I to go to california and close out my dad's lease and clean out his apartment since he will be staying in colorado indefinitely. Since he is staying at the facility as a full time resident his social security checks have been turned over to the facility. Taylor and I have both tried to get financial power of attorney but the banks won't grant it to either of us unless Lenny is physically in the bank which isn't in the cards.

We are attempting to raise money to get my dad items essential to his wellbeing while at the rehab facility like possibly a phone, a comfortable wheelchair cushion, warm clothing, and things to help strengthen his mind. In addition to these things, a large portion of any money raised will be used to cover the bills that haven't been handled during the last 3.5 months. We know that he is currently carrying an $1800 balance on his rent, but are unsure of what other bills need to be handled.

It's extremely hard for us to reach out for help but if you like to show your support we cannot thank you enough.

We Love You Dad

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