Hi everyone, my name is Kara and I am starting this GoFundMe on behalf of my husband, Scott.
On Sunday, March 8th around 5am, our lives changed forever. I was watching TV when I noticed Scott come into the room with a shambling walk- not his usual walk. I asked him if he was ok and he replied he was. I got off the couch to go look at him and immediately knew that something was wrong. His eyes were completely bloodshot and off centered, his walk was weird and his words were slurring.
I asked him what he was doing and he replied that he was going to take out the dog. I took one look at him and said that I would do it and that he needed to sit down. He refused, tried to argue, and grab his coat. I managed to wrestle his coat from him after much effort. I knew that something was drastically wrong, even if he insisted that he was normal. I panicked and called my neighbor to come help, letting her know that I thought that Scott was having a stroke. She came running over to help as I called 911.
The paramedics arrived quickly and assessed Scott's condition. His blood pressure was sky-high, his words were slow to come out, the left side of his body was not working correctly, he was not able to walk without assistance, and his eyes were bloodshot. I was able to convince Scott that he needed to go to the hospital to save his life and the paramedics took him away in the ambulance.
I called my sister and she was able to come get our 2 children so I could go to the hospital with Scott. When I arrived at the hospital, Scott was already in the ER and had received Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA/Alteplase or Tenecteplase) which dissolves blood clots and is absolutely essential for stroke victims. We were then moved to the ICU, where he remains as of the making of this GoFundMe.
The first 24 hours are the scariest as once the medicine has been administered, there is not much that can be done. As one of the doctors described- it's a game of "hurry up and wait". I watched as the man I know going between being the person I know to someone else entirely as the stroke affected him in waves. It was the scariest 24 hours of my entire life. It feels devastating to sit on the sidelines and not be able to do a single thing to help the person you love get through something like this.
As the day(s) went on, progress was slow. Scott slept a lot the first 2 days after the stroke- his mind and body desperately needed to recover. As time progresses, he is slowly getting better but has a lot of hard work in front of him. As of right now, Scott is unable to drink regular fluids and eat regular food. He must drink thickened fluids and eat pureed food. His mind seems to be mostly intact but he is slower to respond to what someone says to him. The left side of his body is mostly paralyzed. He is now able to use his phone in short bursts but only able to handle the phone with his right hand/arm. He gets tired very easily but I can see his strength slowly returning. We do not currently have a day for when he is going to be discharged from the hospital, or even the ICU.
He wants to come home so badly, he misses his beautiful babies SO much. Our kids are his life- his entire world revolves around them. Unfortunately for him, the next step to healing is going to an in-patient rehab. Fortunately for him, we were able to get him into the BEST rehab in New England and the 2nd best in the entire USA! He will have 3 hours of therapy every day to give him the best chance of gaining back a normal life. It is going to be extremely hard work for him, but I know he will be up to it so he can come home to his babies and I. Love (and if I'm being honest- stubbornness) is the best motivation that he has, and I know he will put forward every effort he can.
This GoFundMe is getting set up to help all 4 of us (plus our 3 fuzzy babies). There are going to be huge medical bills and loss of income from either of us not being able to currently work. The support we get from here is going to go a long way in keeping a roof over our heads, the kid's bellies full and keeping away medical debt. I know I speak for both Scott and I when I say thank you, we are so grateful. The world is a hard place right now and I know we are not the only ones who need help. Life is so precious and so fragile, and I am extremely grateful that Scott is even alive. If you have the means to donate anything, just know that it is so appreciated and we are eternally thankful for all the love and support that has been shown to us.