Support Neil's Journey to Healing and Home

As many of you already know, on June 25th, 2024, my brother-in-law, Neil Brawley, suffered a devastating hemorrhagic stroke leaving him paralyzed on his left side.

He was in California when it happened and spent the next three weeks in a hospital in San Juaquin County. He has since been moved to an acute long term care facility near Stockton where he is making solid progress through daily rounds of physical and occupational therapy. He no longer relies on a feeding tube, and his speech has improved to almost normal. (Southern drawl and sense of humor still intact.)

But he still has a long, long way to go.

Janelle (my sister) flew out to be with him the minute she got the news and since then, she’s been living out of a hotel so she can be by Neil’s side while he recovers. Obviously this is really hard. It’s expensive, and it’s very isolating to be all alone in a strange part of the world, thousands of miles from family and friends.

The goal is to get Neil back home to Birmingham so he can be close to home as he continues rehab.

It’s not just that he so badly needs to be surrounded by familiar faces – the doctors tell us that seeing his loved ones will actually support his recovery. And as you all know, the Brawleys are a very tight-knit family. At a time like this, his kids want to see him and he really wants to see his kids.

Even though he’s undergoing PT, Neil is still essentially bedridden. He can’t get on a commercial flight. A cross-country medical transport flight is incredibly expensive – and insurance will not cover it. And that is on top of the already mounting medical and living costs.

That’s why I’m starting this GOFUNDME – to help Janelle and Neil cover medical costs - including transport home, long term rehab care, and the costs of making their home accessible so that when he’s ready to come home, the house is too.

Neil is probably the most generous man I know. He never lets you pick up the tab, he’ll travel to the far ends of the earth if you need help, and I’m not sure he’s ever said “no” to anyone who has asked him for anything.

But also, if you know Neil, you know he just wouldn’t ask for help himself which is why I’m doing it – because right now he needs help – and a lot of it.

I flew out to see him and to spend time with Janelle. One day at the hospital Neil kept asking to go home. We told him he couldn’t go home right now. He said in a very Neil/HR kind of way – try to be part of the solution, not the problem. It made us laugh but I keep thinking about that. “Be part of the solution.”

Neil wants to go home, and we want him to be there. Let’s make that happen!