Brett Crosby Open Heart Surgery

Hi, my name is Trenton and I am Brett Crosby’s stepson. Brett or “Big Dawg” as we like to call him has been my stepdad since July 1st, 1999. Since that day he has been so much more than that to me. He’s been known as coach to me and so many of my friends. He’s been known as teammate. He’s been known as a friend. One thing he’s never been known for is to ask for help. I’ve learned sometimes you need to swallow your pride and ask for help so here I go…”gulp”

On Monday February 26th my mom took Brett to Toledo hospital to get checked out after he was having difficulties after going for a walk. Within a couple days they identified his mechanical valve wasn’t working properly and they promptly took advantage of an open bed at the Cleveland Clinic and he was transported there on Saturday March 2nd and after running tests for a couple days Cleveland clinic decided they were going to operate on Wednesday March 6th early in the morning. This type of procedure on an individual for the third time has a success rate percentage in the teens and after 10 hours on the surgical table with his heart in the hands of a most capable surgeon guided by God, Big Dawg’s heart began to beat on its own and he came back to us. Unfortunately, early Thursday March 7th not even 12 hours off the table Big Dawg had a stroke. They rushed him in to do a procedure to remove the blood clot but were unsuccessful and we are certain Brett will have even more difficulties to overcome as a result of the stroke alongside the recovery from open heart surgery. The extent of the damage to his speech and right side of his body is unclear until he recovers further from surgery. We are hoping it’s minimal but have all the faith Big Dawg will persevere. We just need to him recover from this open heart surgery first.

Brett and my mom have not been home since the 26th of February and because of this stroke Brett’s stay in the cardiovascular ICU went from a couple days to TBD. My mom can’t stay in the ICU overnight and has to get a hotel and travel to and from the hospital. Even with a Cleveland clinic rate hotels are $150-$180 a night. Brett has been retired since 2019 and they live on a fixed income. While visiting Big Dawg and my mom this weekend my heart was broken while I watched my mom worrying about bills that needed to be paid this coming week and how she was going to financially be able to stay with Brett for the coming week(s) while also trying to be 100% attentive and supportive of Brett. She’s been standing on her feet by his side from 7am-9pm everyday refusing to be out of Brett’s sight This is where I ask your help. Anything you can contribute to help ease the burden of hotels, travel, and the uncertainty of their current future would greatly be appreciate by me and my family. I’m doing this without my mom knowing. I’m not able to help them any other way other than asking for your help. I greatly appreciate all of you. Thank you