My Dad's Stroke Recovery
Donation protected
On Monday October 9th, my Dad was found unconscious in his home by paramedics. He was unresponsive and in a coma, and was rushed to the local ER. My mother, sisters, and I had not heard from him in a week, which wasn't unusual. He lives alone in our family home, while the rest of us live about 30 miles north, where we work or go to school. See, my father is like Ron Swanson - only less talkative and maybe more Libertarian. He will have nothing to do with cell phones, social media, and the like, and isn't one for staying in regular communication. My mother has always been frustrated with this, and decided to call his work. They said he hadn't shown up. My father hasn't missed a day of work in decades...
The local police and EMTs jimmied the lock with my mother's frantic blessing.
My Dad was in a coma, as full a coma as you can get (GCS = 3 for those in the know). The doctor told me that he had been down for a long time, 12 hours at least, but other than that they didn't know what brought him there - there were multiple possibilities. His blood sugar and sodium levels were critical, his kidneys were shutting down, and the CT they had just finished when I arrived indicated that he had an intracranial hemorrhage - a bleed in the brain. Not just any bleed either, but a subarachoid hemorrhage as well as hemorrhage in the area of the brain stem, which is the area responsible for most life sustaining functions.
My mother and sisters were devastated, as you might expect. We have all often struggled with anxiety and depression, and one of my sisters had just decided to discontinue her antidepressant medications (She wanted to be independent and manage her emotions with healthy living).
My Dad was moved to a larger hospital with neurosurgical support and is currently in the Critical Care Unit on life support. He has had one neurosurgery already, with more planned, but first they must stabilize him - at an agonizingly slow pace. According to the doctors, his sodium, sugar, and kidney functioning must be normalized very slowly or they risk complications.
So here we are, playing a cruel waiting game. They can't even project what his level of disability or brain functioning will be. Of course, the bills are piling up and the insurance battles are beginning. It's pretty clear he will never be able to work again, even if he pulls through. Like most Americans, my father has dogshit health insurance, which may soon be pulled out from under him.
After talking with my family, we decided to start this GoFundMe - knowing full well that my father would probably object. Knowing that he values privacy, we will not share any personal or identifying information or photographs, so please don't ask. I will however, make sure to keep anyone who wants to know updated on his status and what is going on. In the best case scenario, he will be in intensive care for some time, and according to the doctors will probably need several months in a rehabilitation hospital as well as living adaptations to his home to manage potential limitations. I'm not going to entertain the worst case scenario.
The proceeds from this will go towards my father's medical and recovery expenses, as well as paying his bills, etc. There is no huge rush - he likely will remain in a coma for some time. Besides updates, anyone who wants to learn about his condition can stay in touch - to give back I will research and present information on his condition for educational purposes. The irony is that I am currently a graduate student in neuropsychology - a branch of mental health that assesses cognitive and emotional functioning for those who experience neurological or medical disorders that might affect their brain, as well as recommending individualized treatment or accommodations to assist in rehabilitation and daily living. Those who donate can feel free to learn about my father's condition, and may contact me regarding any questions that they might like me to research in this area. Got a question about the brain, neuroscience, or neurological conditions? Ask away.
The local police and EMTs jimmied the lock with my mother's frantic blessing.
My Dad was in a coma, as full a coma as you can get (GCS = 3 for those in the know). The doctor told me that he had been down for a long time, 12 hours at least, but other than that they didn't know what brought him there - there were multiple possibilities. His blood sugar and sodium levels were critical, his kidneys were shutting down, and the CT they had just finished when I arrived indicated that he had an intracranial hemorrhage - a bleed in the brain. Not just any bleed either, but a subarachoid hemorrhage as well as hemorrhage in the area of the brain stem, which is the area responsible for most life sustaining functions.
My mother and sisters were devastated, as you might expect. We have all often struggled with anxiety and depression, and one of my sisters had just decided to discontinue her antidepressant medications (She wanted to be independent and manage her emotions with healthy living).
My Dad was moved to a larger hospital with neurosurgical support and is currently in the Critical Care Unit on life support. He has had one neurosurgery already, with more planned, but first they must stabilize him - at an agonizingly slow pace. According to the doctors, his sodium, sugar, and kidney functioning must be normalized very slowly or they risk complications.
So here we are, playing a cruel waiting game. They can't even project what his level of disability or brain functioning will be. Of course, the bills are piling up and the insurance battles are beginning. It's pretty clear he will never be able to work again, even if he pulls through. Like most Americans, my father has dogshit health insurance, which may soon be pulled out from under him.
After talking with my family, we decided to start this GoFundMe - knowing full well that my father would probably object. Knowing that he values privacy, we will not share any personal or identifying information or photographs, so please don't ask. I will however, make sure to keep anyone who wants to know updated on his status and what is going on. In the best case scenario, he will be in intensive care for some time, and according to the doctors will probably need several months in a rehabilitation hospital as well as living adaptations to his home to manage potential limitations. I'm not going to entertain the worst case scenario.
The proceeds from this will go towards my father's medical and recovery expenses, as well as paying his bills, etc. There is no huge rush - he likely will remain in a coma for some time. Besides updates, anyone who wants to learn about his condition can stay in touch - to give back I will research and present information on his condition for educational purposes. The irony is that I am currently a graduate student in neuropsychology - a branch of mental health that assesses cognitive and emotional functioning for those who experience neurological or medical disorders that might affect their brain, as well as recommending individualized treatment or accommodations to assist in rehabilitation and daily living. Those who donate can feel free to learn about my father's condition, and may contact me regarding any questions that they might like me to research in this area. Got a question about the brain, neuroscience, or neurological conditions? Ask away.
Organizer
Dale Kay
Organizer
Hoffman Estates, IL