Keith Briere's Funeral Expenses

On the morning of Monday, November 6th, my father, Keith Briere, had a stroke. We still don't know the details of what happened, since my mother didn't find out he was in the hospital until that evening. By then he'd been transported from NH to the Neurology ICU in Massachusetts General Hospital.  He had a hemorrhage on the left side of his brain, leaving his right side immobile. The first day he was awake and responding, making faces at my mother and trying to leave. The next day he changed significantly. He stopped responding and didn’t seem to wake up at all. It was discovered that the bleeding was causing swelling in his brain. They performed surgery to remove the blood and relieve that pressure. He’s been kept sedated since then. Since the stroke, he’s been having seizures, has developed pneumonia, and we’ve learned that there is still bleeding in his brain so they may have to go in again to relieve the pressure. It’s now Friday, November 10th and they still don’t know what caused the stroke, or what is causing the seizures so the testing continues. There is uncertainty whether he will survive this ordeal, but he is a fighter so we’re staying hopeful. He has already fought and beaten cancer only a few years ago, we’re hoping he won’t let this beat him, either. My father is a brilliant man. He is a pilot. He has a Master’s Degree, was in the Air Force for a short time, was in the Civil Air Patrol and has done many things in his life. Now one of his surgeons said he will never be able to “produce language” again. He will likely be able to understand it, but will likely never be able to speak or write words again. It’s too early to tell whether or not he’ll gain any mobility back, but he’ll certainly never fly or ride his motorcycle again. As of right now we don’t know how long he will be in the hospital, it may be a month or more. Thankfully, he has Medicaid so his surgery and the stay is covered. However, he will need rehabilitation after his stay at the hospital and care after he gets released. The bigger problem right now is the need for my mother to stay with him and be his voice since he cannot speak and has largely been kept sedated. She’s been staying at the hospital as much as possible to watch over him and so she can keep updated, since his condition is changing so rapidly.  There's also the fact that it's about a 2 hour drive each way from her home to the hospital. Between gas, wear and tear on her 10-year-old car and the $14/day to park that adds up pretty quickly. She’s a Certified Medical Assistant, so she’s been able to help with his care and intends to continue to do so. Unfortunately, though, they are not legally married. Common-Law Marriage is not recognized in the state of NH and they can’t get married for financial reasons. Because of this, my mother can’t take Family Leave from her work. As such, she may lose her job and her health insurance. Even if she could take Family Leave, it would be without pay. It’s a heavy price to pay for her being able to care for my father in his time of ultimate need. In addition, they had been living in a third-floor apartment. When he can go home, there’s no way he’ll be able to go back to that apartment. My parents need help. My brothers and I are doing everything we can, but my mother needs money to be able to stay and help my father fight for his life. They also need to get a new home. They had been looking at a one-story trailer, but will need the money to get it and to move their belongings there. My mother also has mobility issues due to a past injury to her shoulder, so she’s limited to how much she can lift and carry. Because there are so many unknowns, we don’t know what else will be needed at this time.  There may be more surgeries, rehab care, a wheelchair and any number of other expenses. Right now, our immediate concern is my mother’s wellbeing and ability to stay and help my father fight, and making sure they have a home to go to when he’s able to go home. She has enough to worry about right now without also having to worry about losing their apartment and her health insurance, too. Thank you so much. Any little bit will help and is enormously appreciated. Below is a photo of all of us celebrating Mother’s Day last year. My parents, my brothers, myself (in red) and my wife. It’s a stark reminder of what a difference a year can make.