Al Dennis and Family

Al Dennis was feeling a little dizzy at home one August morning. When he fell suddenly, his wife Betty rushed him to the hospital. In a hospital waiting room Betty, and soon the entire family awaited news. What was wrong with Al? When could he come home? Anyone who has ever sat in a waiting room knows how excruciating that time is. For the Dennis family, hours became days, days became weeks, and weeks became months.

Al was transferred from Marinette county hospital to Madison, then to Oconto. Doctors, nurses, family, and friends tried to hold on to hope as they continued to find the cause and hopefully a cure, as Al continued to fight for his life in and out of consciousness, with breathing tubes, feeding tubes, and monitors everywhere.

It’s been over 80 days since that fateful morning, and Al is now considered stable, and just transferred to Luther home in Marinette where he will be able to receive long term physical therapy and support. Al will continue to heal and learn to cope with big life changes such as a feeding tube and limited mobility with the support of his family and community.

The Dennis family finally has some answers too. After 3 spinal taps the cause of the encephalitis was finally diagnosed. A simple tick bite carrying the extremely rare Powassan Virus caused this devastating disease. This disease is so rare, in fact, that there was a total of 20 cases reported in the United States in 2020. The people who survive, as Al did, face a long recovery process. (Source: ArboNET, Arboviral Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

The health insurance will not cover the nursing home care that is required for Al to begin his long journey to recovery, and hopefully home. This is anticipated to cost the Dennis family $11,000 a month out-of-pocket. Once Al meets certain milestones in his recovery, The Dennis family hopes to welcome him home. Due to the severity of the disease, this will be a long process.

We anticipate this cost to very quickly become unobtainable for any family to afford and therefore are reaching out for assistance from those who would be willing to help.

Al worked as a pipefitter in the local 400. His wife Betty worked as the head cook in the Wausaukee school district, where their 4 children attended school.

Whether you can answer the call to help financially, or in other means, the family welcomes your continued prayers, love, and support as they continue down the difficult road to recovery.

You could also mail a check to Aaron Dennis at 1400 S Ridge Rd Green Bay, WI 54304. Or Betty Dennis at N11986 Hillside Rd Wausaukee, WI 54177