Help With Kevin’s Rehabilitation

“Hello, all. I am writing on behalf of my aunt and uncle, Karen and Kevin Thompson.

My Aunt and Uncle have always been there for me and our family during our times of need, and it is now my turn to help them.

As some of you know, my Uncle Kevin suffered a Carotid Artery Stroke on February 16th, 2023. Since then, he has been at Bryn Mawr Hospital – a leading center for stroke care. Doctors quickly performed surgery to remove a rather large blockage from both his neck and part of the arteries, leading into his brain. They went as far as they could up into his brain to remove the blockage and try to avoid any more damage.

Since then, sadly, my uncle has not been recovering as initially expected. He is completely numb on his left side, with no movement in his arm or leg, as well as facial drooping on that same side. However, there is a very slight leg pull back when pain is introduced. He is currently unable to properly swallow. The feeding tube has been removed as of Thursday the 23rd, however the only foods he can eat are thick, pureed foods. He is still not able to drink normal fluids and medicine is being mixed in apple sauce for him to swallow. He can talk and is coherent to answer questions and such. (He knows his name, birthday and so on…)

Kevin has also gone through testing for his heart, as his blood pressure has been spiking up and down to dangerous levels. Doctors have inserted a loop recorder to monitor the rhythm of his heart, as well as an arterial line to be able to draw blood for testing and to monitor heart and oxygen levels. He is also suffering from aspiration pneumonia and sporadically carries a fever.

As you all can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for our family. One of the first things he asked my aunt Karen to do was drive him to the hockey game he has to work this week and push him in a wheelchair. After all that is going on—HOCKEY, undeniably his life—it was explained to him that he will not be able to attend work at this time.

Which leads us to this fundraiser.

Medicare does not cover all these expenses in full. There are copays, testing, and additional copays for the many CT scans, MRIs, and other exams. Medicare requires a large deductible, which only allows, for a short time, a stay in a facility. Afterwards, it is solely up to my Aunt Karen to pay the remaining balance of these medical bills, along with all their other bills, while trying to afford to keep their home.

All of this will only add more stress to her, as she already holds down a few jobs while trying to manage their home.

On Saturday, 2/24/23, Kevin was moved to Bryn Mawr Village, a skilled nursing facility equipped to handle him both physically and mentally to assist him in rehabilitation. It takes a lot to get him up and sitting in a chair, let alone trying to teach him to live as much of a normal life as he can. He has to learn to walk again, must perform normal health and hygiene needs, and be able to swallow to eat a normal meal.

As many of you know, 20 years ago, Kevin was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him disabled. His recovery from it has been lifelong, and now a recovery from a stroke makes his road that much longer.

While his journey is just beginning, we want to be able to rally around Kevin, Karen, and their son Patrick. One of Uncle Kev’s favorite parts of the year is decorating their home for every holiday imaginable. Kids and adults alike in their neighborhood always look forward to the displays! As you can imagine, continuing with their traditions going forward may not be possible for quite a while.

We thank you for taking the time to pray for him and his family. All donations sent will go straight to his family for medical care and additional bills.

Your help is greatly appreciated, and we will provide updates as we can on my Uncle Kevin’s journey back to some type of normal life in the following months.

Sincerely,

Erin Deptula