Alan's Road to Recovery

Please allow me to introduce Alan Bales.  He is married to my awesome sister, Tammy. He is the father of my two beautiful nieces, Alisyn and Lockie. He is also a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend, a drag racer-an all-American. He is 51 years old and next summer, he and Tammy will celebrate 25 years of marriage. He enjoys a sharp looking car, a good steak and baked potato and his glorious peanut butter pie, and of course "his girls". Alan drives a Snap-On truck. He also puts in Central Boiler stoves and has a garage where he works in his own machine shop on race car motors. As you can see, he is a very busy man and works hard. He is a provider for his family.

This all changed the afternoon of September 22nd.

He was working his route on the Snap-On truck and he was at a stop at a garage. They said when he came into the shop that he was complaining with pain in his left eye. He went out and got back in his truck to check his eye and he did some work on his computer. Sometime later, a gentleman arrived at the garage with a tool that he wanted to return to Snap-On. He was told to see Alan on the Truck. Thank God, for this man found Alan.

Alan was picked up by Wings in Speedwell and brought to Bristol Regional Medical Center. We arrived very soon after and were told that he had been taken straight to CT. We sat in the consult room, praying for good news about what we thought had been a stroke. The police officer at the scene suspected that a stroke had happened. Ten minutes later, our world was ripped out from under our feet. The neurologist came to the consult room explaining that a 2cm bleed was considered operable. Alan’s was 5cm by 7 cm. He told us that there was nothing he could do, "Alan wouldn’t survive this". We look around the room clinging to one another in confusion as the doctor repeats himself. "No one can survive this; he will never wake up."

Soon after the neuro surgeon came in to tell us they were taking him to emergency surgery. They were unsure if he would survive surgery but made clear that he wouldn't survive without it. We were taken to another waiting area where we sat for four hours. During this time, we called every family member we could think of; telling everyone to rush to us. We were terrified everyone wouldn't get a chance to say goodbye. We were living in a nightmare. We were praying harder than we've ever prayed. Half way through they called to tell us they couldn't find the source of the blood but they were going to keep trying. Two hours later they came out to say they stopped the bleeding, and there was extensive damage, his entire brain had shifted to the right side of his skull, they didn’t think he would wake.  He was being moved to ICU for recovery.

We were now being moved again to another waiting area. Little did we know, these four walls would become our world.


We want to thank you all for reading Alan's story.  I will try to type an update at the end of each day.  the most important thing in this tragedy is prayer.  please pray for Alan, for Tammy, and for his amazing girls.
  

With Alan in the hospital and Tammy by his side, the Bales family has no source of income. The money raised here will provide food and gas as they travel and continue to stay here at the hospital.  It will also help to pay their upcoming reoccurring bills as well as the medical bills to come.  Rehabilitation is in the future and money raised will also be applied to that.  Let's give this family all the love, hope, and prayers in the world.  Thank you so much for those who donate, but most importantly, thank you for your prayers.