Andrew Kastner’s Stroke Recovery Fund

Hello, Andrew’s Mom, Kathleen, here. I have the privilege of being Andrew’s primary Care Partner in his stroke recovery journey. Those who know Andrew are already aware of what a kind, creative, humble, funny and generous person he is. He has lost none of those great qualities since the stroke and he is my hero.

What happened 

On October 10, 2022, Andrew met up with some friends after work for a game of roller hockey. He headed home afterward, talked on the phone to his friend, Natalie, and went to sleep. He was unaware that he had a tear on the inside of his carotid artery that would change his life. While he slept a clot formed around the tear blocking blood flow to 40% of the left side of his brain.

 He woke up in the morning unable to move his right side or speak.

Why we are asking for help 

7 months have passed. Andrew has worked incredibly hard and is determined to recover as fully as possible. He has faced an infection which caused a huge set back, has endured 5 surgeries with a 6th planned for later this month and through it all he has been an inspiration to everyone around him. His Docs have called his progress a miracle. His therapists are continually impressed by his hard work. 

 But now we are facing the cap on insurance visits for therapy and are paying out-of-pocket for speech therapy while putting a hold on occupational and physical therapy until after surgery. 

 

Andrew continues to work hard at home but could really benefit from additional therapies and for that we need help. 

Here is the breakdown

Outpatient therapy

$150.00 per session. Prior to insurance running out Andrew was receiving physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy twice a week. Total amount will depend on the number of visits.

Equipment

$200.00/month For rental of Neuroball home therapy device - arm, hand and shoulder at home therapy.

$4000.00 For purchase of a Bioness electrical stimulation device for his right hand recovery.

$3500.00 For purchase of a Bioness electrical stimulation device for assistance walking.

Speech and Language - adjunctive therapies

$280.00 For each 9 week class at The Stroke Comeback Center.

$20,000 + - Intensive Speech and Language Program - this is intensive aphasia therapy several hours a day 4-5 days a week for 4-6 weeks. Does not include room and board. This is something Andrew would really like to do - he desperately wants to speak again!!!

Adaptive Recumbent Trike

$7500.00 - we are putting this in the emotional recovery category. So much of what Andrew loves to do has been taken from him. A Trike will allow him to participate in one of his favorite activities. The cost includes an estimate for modifications and creating a secure storage area at his apartment.

Our Hope

We hope that one day Andrew will have achieved his goal of living a fulfilling and productive life. We have witnessed his drive and determination to overcome the life-altering effects of his brain injury. Having the financial resources available will go a long way to putting his dreams within reach.

With grateful hearts,

Andrew, his family and friends