Meet Keenan Cooper, a kind, loving, funny, HARDworking, educated, selfless, uncomplaining, self driven, & ambitious believer in God. If you know him, you can attest all those things to be true. To those who don’t know him, I hope I can give you an inkling of an idea of the man he is by the end of this reading. To me……..he’s my big brother, my protector, provider (if ever needed be) & best friend since birth. A habitual gym rat, American Airlines Double Shifter & workaholic. An overall staple in shifting the financial freedom & trajectory of his families lineage. He’s always dedicated himself to being of service to others. In December of 2021, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the prime age of 29 years old. Medicals discovered an extensive amount of lesions located on his brain’s cerebellum & on his spine. The cerebellum is in control of the body’s motor movements, balance & posture, motor learning, as well as, cognitive functions, such as roles in thought, emotions, and social behavior.

As of today, approaching 32, I’ve watched my brother become drastically disabled before my eyes. In his words, he’s went from “Swagger to Stagger” lol. He has loss his ability to maintain his balance & walk safely without the use of the assistance of a walker. The energy it takes to walk in general is very draining to him. He’s very fatigued on a daily, & mornings it usually takes time for his legs & body to get acclimated to walk & prepare for his day. He has trouble using his hands for fine motor skill activities because of his shakes & tremors in his hand (Ex. Such as brushing his teeth, picking up food with a utensil & placing it into his mouth just to eat , taking the top off a water bottle, picking up something small that takes precision, answering a call or texting). Multiple Sclerosis has affected his ability to speak clearly & thoroughly express his thoughts. He describes talking as a pallet of peanut butter being on the top of his tongue & roof of his mouth ultimately delaying his speech. His hobbies & dreams of rapping have been renounced. His vision has not been affected , but his eyes physically are always opened wider as if he’s been startled. He seems to also behaviorally & emotionally be more frustrated & angry than I’ve ever experienced. The list goes on….

American Airlines deemed it unsafe for him to be working on the ramp December of 2023 & put him out of service on an UNPAID 5 YEAR medical leave, just 2 weeks shy of his long term disability being placed into effect. They have paid him short term since January of 2024 but realized the same thing should have applied & in all actuality was not eligible for either. Although they have paid him short term disability thus far (Jan-June 2024) they want him to return the “overpaid” payments totaling to just over $10K in the next 60 days from June 14th, 2024. His progression of his disability has enabled him to work from anywhere currently, & he is awaiting to be approved for disability which can take who knows how long.

Keenan has not exhausted the use of any rehabilitation such as physical therapy, speech therapy, or mental therapy due to the consistency they take to see a difference & the cost it takes especially overtime time to maintain.

Everyday I watch my brother do 500 pushups through out the day as he shakes tremendously in the process because he refuses to be a couch potato or a bean & lose his bodies complete ability to operate physically. He struggles to make smoothies because of the fine motor skills it takes to operate machinery but EVERYDAY he fights through with the intention of eating healthy with hopes of healing.

Keenan is the strongest person i’ve ever known. He optimistically keeps a positive mindset everyday. He doesn’t complain even when he is frustrated daily. I couldn’t imagine how hard it is on him emotionally, physically, mentally, socially & spiritually to go through what he’s experiencing. Especially because of how active & self sufficient he’s always been. He doesn’t question God through this journey. He continues to listen to Gods word ALL day, everyday. He keeps inspirational & motivational things playing in his ears. He’s such an inspiration to me & others that get to experience his light at such a DARK time. A constant reminder to be thankful of the little things we do without even thinking about.

He refuses to be a burden to others & that’s why I never created the go fund me when he was diagnosed. But we as a family are at a crossroad…..we are hurting. I watch my retired parents have feelings of helplessness watching their child go through this life changing experience & they can’t take the pain away . We NEED the help to support him on his journey to health, healing & restoration. This Go Fund Me was created to raise money to help pay for his monthly bills, medical bills, copays for rehabilitation, his debt of “overpaid” short term disability, & ultimately his road to recovery. ANYTHING , even a $1, can help. We as a family are endlessly thankful. If you have been able to experience us as a family you know our village is led by god & a very very very strong one. HE WILL HAVE THE GREATEST TESTIMONY! I’m claiming it now.

Thank you in advance for the donations, & even if you cant donate please pray for him. Matthews 18:19 says the more people that touch and agree of askings on earth, that it shall be done for them by our father in heaven.

From the bottom of my heart thank you for taking the time out of your day to even read this….

Signed,

Kyra Cooper …..his little “big” sister & Family

#FTF (For The Family)