Help Mitch Brown as He Struggles with Dementia

This GoFundMe is definitely not what we imagined having to put together for our dad, but unfortunately, we have limited options to help support him during the remaining years of his life.

About our dad’s condition:

Those of you close to us Brown kids probably know about the condition of our dad, Mitch Brown, and his worsening memory loss. For those not aware, our dad has been suffering from early-onset dementia for well over a decade. We believe he is suffering from the effects of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a progressive brain condition that's thought to be caused by repeated concussions and other head trauma. Unfortunately, CTE is only diagnosable after death, but the symptoms he has shown over the last 15 years are undeniable.

An All-American in both wrestling and football at Saint Lawrence University, our dad was an outstanding athlete. He was the national champion in 1977 and a four-time All-American in wrestling. His 117 wrestling wins were the most ever by a Saint’s wrestler. While at SLU, he once scored 23 points in a football game while playing defense; he also set most of SLU’s place-kicking records and was the leading tackler on the 1976 NCAA semi-finalist team. He became known as SLU’s “Mr. Everything” during his time at the university and still holds 13 football records in SLU’s Hall of Fame. All this to say that with this success came many concussions – estimated that he endured at least 40 in his lifetime.

While we are so proud of our dad for what he achieved, we can’t deny that it has negatively impacted his memory and the quality of his life. And sadly, he will never get to enjoy retirement like he once imagined, as his condition is worsening quickly.

Why we’re asking for your help:

Mitch is currently only 66, and his memory span is no more than 2 minutes on his best days, making it impossible to hold down a job in recent years. As a result of his worsening condition, he is increasingly dependent on others to maintain daily tasks and upkeep. Unfortunately, we have reached the point where we must find an assisted living home to ensure he can receive quality care and the best quality of life.

The four of us are all young professionals striving to get on our own feet, let alone support our dad and his need for care. We have been extremely fortunate to have our dad’s closest friends support his life for the past nine years; however, it has come time to expand our fundraising efforts for what will likely be one last time to help him transition to assisted living.

In order to provide him with the care, he needs and to make his years ahead as comfortable, dignified, and care-based as possible, we are hoping to raise $40,000, which, coupled with our dad’s social security income, will enable us to satisfy the two-year private pay requirement before we can get him on Medicaid.

Every little bit counts, and we are incredibly grateful for all the help that we can get. Please share our dad's story and this GoFundMe page to help him get the care he needs. Thank you all in advance; it means the absolute world to us and even more to him.

With Much Love & Gratitude,

Abby, Nate, Sarah and Audrey