On November 28, 2023, we received the phone call that no parent ever wants to get. Tyler was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support due to a severe medical condition that left him in a critical state with full brain suppression. He remained on life support throughout all of December and a large part of January, battling status epilepticus encephalitis due to an unknown autoimmune disorder. Many of the top neurologists in the US met, reviewed, and discussed Tyler's case, only to continue to come back with more questions than they had answers to. When the doctor’s comments are, “This is very complex, and nothing about Tyler's case makes any sense to what we have seen before,” it really sets the uncertainty level high.

During this challenging time, Tyler faced numerous complications, including antibiotic-resistant pneumonia, a complete saddle blood clot in his pulmonary arteries, persistent central fevers, and fluctuating blood pressure that posed additional risks while being on life support with total brain suppression. The Doctors and Hospital staff tried everything to get this under control and get the seizures to stop, but decided that it was too much and that Tyler needed to be airlifted to Memorial Herman TMC, a level-one trauma Hospital in Houston, Texas.

As a parent, it's heart-wrenching to witness your child endure such a complex and uncertain journey. The road to recovery for Tyler has been, and will be long and arduous, requiring extensive medical care, treatments, and rehabilitation for years to come. The financial burden of medical and out-of-pocket expenses is also starting to become overwhelming. Because Tyler’s diagnosis is not specific, the insurance has denied his rituximab treatments and claimed them as “Experimental”. One treatment alone is around $30,000, and Tyler has had three of these, with more planned in the future. The emergency insurance we carry does not cover seizures, and with Tyler only being 25, the industry he worked in did not offer short or long-term insurance. He did not qualify for unemployment and Social Security is still a year away from reviewing his SSI application. We have reached out to Organizations like Genentech that offer financial aid to help assist with these expenses, but the services are not guaranteed.

Many of you have asked, “How can we help?” First and most coveted is your prayers. We know God has a plan, and he is revealing it a little at a time. Next would be your donation, no matter the amount, it will go a long way in helping Tyler receive the critical care and rehabilitation he needs to recover and reclaim his health. Your kindness and compassion will provide hope and strength to Tyler and our family as we navigate this challenging chapter in our lives.

Together, we can rally around Tyler and show him that he is not alone in this fight. Your support will make a difference in Tyler's journey towards recovery and healing.

Thank you for reading Tyler's story and for considering a donation to support his medical expenses and rehabilitation. Your thoughts, prayers, and contributions are deeply appreciated and will never be forgotten.