Help for the Vela Family

Those of you who know Dennis, know him as a strong, healthy, kind, loving father, friend and husband. He's a  beloved Youth Football Coach, an avid gym rat and a very involved dad (SAC committee warrior, traffic slayer, carpool driver, field day tug-of-war champion, 5th grade kickball referee and many many more). His wife Brea holds down just as many titles between running a successful Travel Business, acting as the Treasurer of the PTA, Youth Football Team Mom and volunteer commander for whatever and whenever anyone needs her. Their boys, Jaxon and Julian are always down for a game of football or basketball (or really any sort of sport). They are kind, funny, sometimes shy but always ready to make a friend. They are the All-American family.

The Vela's are the first ones to volunteer for anything and to help a friend in need. Well, it is our turn to help. Dennis fell ill December 16th and was transported by ambulance to Morton Plant hospital. After many tests (Brea said it was like an episode of House), they diagnosed him with a rare blood disorder called TTP.  They treated it the way things have been treated in the past and worked, and found out that his is the "rarest" case they have ever seen of this super-rare disorder (of course Dennis always has to be the best !) He is now at Tampa General Hospital (as of January 12, 2021) on day 30 with a new more specialized team of doctor's that have dealt with this rare disorder a lot more than the other wonderful people over at Morton Plant. We still don't know how long he will have to be there, but there are improvements and small victories every day.

Because the Vela family has touched so many people's lives, we have had SO many people reach out to see what they can do to help. I approached Brea about starting a GoFundMe Page to relieve some of the strain and financial stress of the surmounting medical bills. Some of you may remember that only a few months ago, Dennis had to have a kidney removed due to Cancer, so add that to almost a month in the hospital now and I'm sure it's outrageously overwhelming for anyone.

They were reluctant to accept it at first, because they are such humble, kind people who are always thinking of others, I finally got them to cave.

So what can you do?

First and foremost they need our prayers. They are a faithful family and they know that God will get them through this. 

Secondly, if you are able to donate any amount of money to their GoFundMe, they would be forever grateful.  We hope to give them enough money to pay some of the medical bills  while giving Dennis time to heal completely before having to jump right back into work. Dennis has insurance but we all know how things can be when it comes time to settle.

Thank you all for your concern, prayers and help.