Support Sean Lamar's Stroke Recovery Journey

Hello Everyone, My name is Melissa. I have known Sean Lamar for over 11 years. He is one of my best friends and has been family to me since the day we met. I am starting this go fund me to assist Sean and his family.

Last Monday, July 15, 2024, Sean woke up at home in Brewster when his mom heard him call for her. She immediately went to his room and found him on the floor. She asked him what was going on and he said, "stroke". 911 was called and an ambulance arrived quickly. Sean was taken to the Brewster Hospital for a CT Scan where they found he had bleeding in the left hemisphere of his brain. He was airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane and within a short time of arriving at Sacred Heart was rushed into life saving surgery to stop the bleed in his brain. A craniotomy was completed and after about 3.5 hours of surgery Sean came out of surgery alive, but with a long road ahead of him to recovery.

Sean suffered a Basal Ganglia Hemorrhagic Stroke. This kind of stroke is one of the most severe a person can suffer. These kinds of strokes have a high mortality rate upon onset and are extremely hard to navigate and recover from. The basal ganglia are a cluster of neurons, located deep within the brain. They are involved in many functions, including motor control, cognition, and emotion. A hemorrhagic stroke means the blood vessels were actively bleeding and had already burst by the time Sean was taken to the hospital in Brewster. When this happens, blood leaks into the brain, which causes pressure and swelling of the brain. Since the brain is encompassed by the skull, it has no where to go when it starts swelling and the brain will more or less drown (or die) if the bleeding isn't stopped.

Luckily for Sean, his mom, Julie is an early riser and took immediate action to get Sean the care he needed. A large part of stroke survival and recovery is based on how fast treatment is provided to the patient once the stroke occurs. Because of his Mom's swift actions, Sean was in the hospital within 20 minutes of his collapse at home and was in the care of Sacred Heart's ICU within 1.5 hours from the time the stroke took place that morning.

We were notified very quickly and abruptly by the neurosurgeon at Sacred Heart that Sean needed this emergency surgery or he absolutely would not have survived much longer if they didn't go in right away. We are so very thankful for the swift actions of every single person who has treated and helped Sean the last week.

Coming out of surgery Julie and Sean's son, Javen were shown his CT Scan and were told that a majority of the time, should the individual survive a stoke of this nature, they may not ever be able to speak again, will have a hard time understanding speech and in Sean's case, would have severe right side paralysis. Monday and Tuesday were very difficult days as Sean was in a coma post surgery, on a ventilator and had a drainage tube coming out of his head. We were not certain at all if he was going to ever wake up again or not.

It was determined that Sean's stroke was a result of his hypertension. Sean has had high blood pressure as long as I've known him and probably well before I knew him. Hypertension is prevalent in his family's genetics and Sean danced with his blood pressure on and off for years. Sometimes it was maintained, other times not. The kind of stroke he suffered is the most common kind of stroke for someone with hypertension.

By Thursday of last week, Sean was intermittently responding to his nurses when he was pulled out of sedation. He was giving faint thumbs up signs and squeezing his nurse's hands. On Friday, we were very surprised when Julie, Javen and myself all saw him open his eyes again for the first time. Julie and Javen both asked him if he knew who they were and he distinctively nodded his head up and down in a "yes". This was an amazing sign of progression, because up until that point we were not sure if Sean would understand speech. I was able to hold a gaze with him for a short period of time on Friday, but I was crying so hard and so happy to see his eyes, I was speechless. It was really an incredible feeling to see those hazel eyes open after days in fear we might lose him all together.

Saturday, July 20th was an even more incredible day. Sean's CT Scan that morning came back stable. The hemorrhage and hematoma in his brain were shrinking in size and the mid line shift to his brain was slowly moving back in the right direction. The ICU doctor came in and told us that her and the neurology team had discussed Sean's case and they concluded that there is no reason to believe Sean couldn't make a recovery. Though he was still on a breathing tube, he had actually been breathing on his own for a couple of days, but was kept intubated because the doctor's wanted a bit more response from him before removing the tube and taking him out of full sedation. We were asked what Sean enjoyed doing by the ICU doctor. We included his favorite hobbies; cooking, golf, kayaking and bike riding and were told, he may not have the motor coordination to kayak again, but he should be able to fish. He should be able to cook again, but he may struggle to cut vegetables into small pieces. We were beyond elated with this news and many tears were shed in pure happiness that Sean, for now, is out of imminent danger and starting the steps to recovery.

Yesterday, a week after his stroke, the breathing tube was taken out and Sean has been steadily breathing on his own. Today, they will determine if he has the ability to swallow. This could be tricky because if he can't swallow he may need a feeding tube and tracheostomy in order for him to have the best quality of life moving forward. We are really hoping with a little more rest, he will be able to move forward without this procedure taking place. He did move his right arm today, which is the paralyzed side of his body, so again, he is making great steps forward in his recovery already. He is steadily grabbing and squeezing your hand. He is absolutely aware of when Julie and Javen are with him. He responds very differently to us then to the nurses. Javen and I saw him give the nurse the "stank eye" yesterday when she was repositioning his feeding tube. It made us laugh, which was much needed and it was a definite sign of seeing the light that is Sean coming back to life within him.

Currently Julie is staying with friends in Spokane and Javen is staying with me. This go fund me is set up to not only aid Sean in the months and possible years to come, but to assist Javen, Julie and his family. Julie resides in Brewster and is going back and forth as needed so she can rest at her home. Javen took a break from school and work this summer, so he will be in Spokane as much as possible during Sean's recovery. If I know Javen he will be here everyday until something pulls him from his Dad's side. Sean has been most responsive to Javen the last week and it has warmed our hearts seeing him grab for Javen's hand and react to Javen's voice.

We were told Sean's recovery isn't a race, it's a marathon. Sean will have to work extremely hard to regain use of his right side, to speak, to understand and comprehend reading and writing and speech. He will need support and reinforcement as he moves through various therapies and rehabilitation over the next several months.

As of right now, Sean is stable and still in ICU. His family prefers that no one but immediate family visit at this time. He needs to rest and continue to heal. Soon he will be moving to Level 8 (Neurology) at Sacred Heart and that is when more visitors can come see him. Eventually Sean will be moved into a rehabilitation facility to start the next process of recovery from this medical incident.

Recovery from this kind of stroke can vary from minimal recovery to full recovery. There are a ton of factors that determine recovery from a stroke of this nature and it is going to be a day by day process. So far, Sean is passing every check and balance the doctor's put forth and we are amazed at how far he has come since last Monday.

We are very hopeful that Sean will recover with a quality of life that is fulfilling and healthy with longevity and livelihood. He may never be the same Sean we once knew, but he is still our Sean and we are all rooting for him. He has fought so hard and has overcome odds that many people do not overcome after suffering a stroke of this nature.

As we all know.... Sean is one stubborn man. He is hard headed and resilient. He is as strong as an ox and his heart is one of the most gentle and genuine I have ever known. He'd do anything for anyone and he needs our support more than anything right now. He needs positive encouragement and he needs everyone in his corner cheering him on as he moves through the most difficult time of his life.

Please take the time to donate and support him and his family. Please write him a message and we will absolutely read your messages to him and share your words with him. He has a long road ahead of him and needs all the support out there, whether it's monetary or emotional support as his recovery continues.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Julie and Javen are speaking with many people right now, so their responses may be a bit delayed if you reach out. I'm trying to support and assist them as best I can while they work through conversations, decisions, and next steps for Sean.

We appreciate all your support and I will do my best to keep this site updated as often as I can.

Thank you for taking the time to read and for caring. Any and all help and support for Sean is appreciated and will be

used to aid him in what we hope is a full recovery.

All My Love,

Melissa