On September 28 in the midst of a Category 4 hurricane my brother’s 14 year old son Sheldyn suddenly collapsed in pain, with tingling throughout his body, unable to move his extremities, and having difficulty breathing. EMS took him to their local hospital, and it was quickly decided that he needed to be transported to St. Joseph’s Pediatric Hospital in Tampa. Tests revealed that he had an AVM near the top of his spine. That was a tangled mass of blood vessels on his spinal cord. On October 5 he had surgery, and the surgeon was able to remove the AVM, but Sheldyn remains paralyzed with only very limited movement in his extremities. He will be going through extensive physical therapy, the Doctor says for months. Since the time he could walk, Sheldyn has been a star athlete and has won numerous awards in gymnastics, track, and football. We pray that he will regain the use of his body.

My brother Nathan is in law enforcement, and his wife is a stay-at-home mom. Sheldyn has an 11 year old brother at home. He also has a sister in college and an older brother who is also in law enforcement but still lives at home. This unexpected occurrence is causing great hardship on the family: lost time from work, many added expenses, and huge medical bills. We as his family are setting up this account to try to help them. Many have expressed a desire to help them, and this will be one way to do that. Any gift will be greatly appreciated.