Hi, my name is Danna Smith, and I am writing on behalf of the Lee family who are very dear to my heart. Maddie Lee is my best friend of over 40 years.

This GoFundMe is for Maddie’s brother, RJ. RJ is a Bellefonte High graduate and a graduate of Mansfield University where he was a 4-year starter on the Mountie Baseball Team.

RJ is the son of Rodney and Carrie Lee of Bellefonte.

On Saturday, July 19th after pressure washing his house and mowing the grass, RJ started complaining of a bad headache which got progressively worse over time.

RJ was taken by ambulance to the hospital, there a quick scan revealed RJ had a very large brain bleed. He was immediately life-flighted to Bringham and Women’s Hospital in Boston where he underwent emergency surgery to remove a portion of his skull to relieve the pressure due to the intraparenchymal hemorrhage of his brain.

RJ was born with a heart condition that required a valve replacement surgery. He had this surgery a few years ago in Amsterdam which was a complete success. However, he is now required to take a daily dose of blood thinner medication. Because of his heart condition, treatment for this brain bleed has been tricky and difficult to manage. The brain needs rest, but RJ cannot be sedated, and he cannot have any type of pain medication. This has been very difficult for the family to endure.

It is still not clear what caused the brain bleed, but while in hospital RJ was also having discomfort in his lower back, and a scan showed that he has a fracture in his L5 (fifth lumbar vertebra). Again, nothing they can do to relieve that discomfort.

With any brain injury there are going to be many ups and downs, that is a given. At this time, RJ is critically ill and will be in hospital for quite some time before he can be transferred to a rehabilitation facility to further his recovery. The family is heartbroken and beyond worried about RJ and the uphill battle ahead of him.

There is no indication of when RJ will be able to return to work. The doctors will only update on a day-to-day basis because of the severity of his condition and the many setbacks of a brain injury.

My goal for this GoFundMe is to help alleviate the stress of mounting medical bills and other expenses for this family so that they can focus on RJ and his needs as he fights his way back to himself.

Any little bit helps, and I know the family would be grateful.

I will try to post RJ updates on this site, so everyone knows how his journey is going.

Thank you,

Danna Smith on behalf of RJ Lee’s family