Support Bethany's Stroke Recovery Journey

Hello friends and family,

My name is Brian and my wife's name is Bethany. We have three children, ages 16,11, and 8. Some of you may know already that my wife suffered from three strokes in 2021, one of which was major and required extensive hospitalization, rehabilitation, and a lot of emotional turmoil.

Our journey started when we decided to take a leap of faith and move the entire family to Florida for a fresh start. The house was sold and nearly the entire contents of our home were sold in a matter of 30 days or so.

We hit the road, excited for our new adventure. Three kids, three dogs, two vehicles and a trailer full of belongings. The first part of the trip was great and we saw a lot of interesting places. That was until we made it to Montana.

Bethany began feeling unwell when we were in Yellowstone National park. We thought nothing of it, brushing it off as a minor flu. We continued on and ended up in the town of Broadus, Montana, a town of 200 or so people. Bethany's symptoms became worse and I took her to the town clinic. The clinic was not prepared or staffed for what was going on. The nurse suggested we drive to Spearfish, South Dakota to been seen at the emergency room. This 108 mile trip, going 120 plus miles per hour was such a blur at the time, just trying to get her help. The Lord truly paved a path for us to get there.

The emergency doctors examined her and upon evaluation, called an ambulance to take her to Rapid City, South Dakota where she was diagnosed with a severe Stroke. Her vision was nearly gone, she could not swallow her own saliva,her balance was non-existent, and she spent three days in the emergency room, getting life-saving support. After three days, she began to stabilize and spent an additional eleven days getting acute care. After hospital discharge, she spent a month in a cared living facility where she began Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy. She started in a wheelchair, then a walker, then a cane. She came "home" and continued outpatient therapy for about 6 months.

At this time, we decided to continue our journey to Florida and keep our dream alive. This was exciting and extremely nerve-wrecking, but we made it. She continued to improve in her symptoms, regaining strength, hope, and enjoying the simple things in life.

I decided to start a "handyman" business but was struggling to make ends meet. Fortunately, at the time, a family member of hers offered me work and I began to bring in consistent income. Not a whole lot, but I wasn't pushing lawn mowers to eat anymore. Fast-forward to September of this year, 2024. I was suddenly fired on a Sunday night through a text message because I refused to run personal errands for my "boss".(ex-family member)

Fast-forward again to December. I have found some work between then and now but I was in the process of getting my roofing contractor licence and didn't want to get in trouble for contracting without a licence so I had to tread lightly and not market my services. We were still held aflot by the grace of God and a dear friend.

One week before Christmas, Bethany began having symptoms of another stroke. I took her to the emergency room where she was almost instantly admitted. Her electrolyte levels were low, she was dehydrated, her speech began to suffer tremendously, and the left-side residual affects of the 2021 strokes began to emerge in great strength. Her blood pressure was through the roof, despite being on medication. She spent 5 days in the hospital, discharged on Christmas eve, and we were planning on acute after-care.

On Christmas day, she took a nap and when she awoke, she couldn't even sit up, her speech worse than before.

Back to the emergency room again.

She was seen and discharged around midnight. The doctors gave us a prescription for acute blood pressure, blood thinners, and antibiotics for an unrelated condition. So here we are today. I am still not contracting yet, due to being a full-time caregiver, dad, etc.

I have struggled with asking for help ever since I was able to be on my own. At this point, I have to humble myself before God and before others because honestly, I feel very defeated. Unfortunately, bills, growing kids, and life in general does not care if there is a medical emergency.

I will not be using these funds for anything extra. I just need to be there for my wife, her care, and kids during this time.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I know God will always provide. Despite these hard times, I continue to praise him.

Love,

Brian, Bethany, and kids