Support David's Journey to Healing

My brother David Lanigan had a massive stroke on Saturday, October 19th. He is self-employed and was catching up on some work while his wife Inna took their three kids, Thomas (9), Johnny (6), & Matrona (3), to church to carve pumpkins. He was having some issues with the vision in his right eye, and when he completely lost his vision in that eye, he knew there was a serious issue. He drove himself to the hospital where Inna met him just as he had a full-blown stroke.

Due to the seriousness of his condition, he was brought by ambulance to MUSC, which is about 1-1/2 hours from their home in Beaufort, SC. Within 24 hours, they realized he had a brain bleed, and he had emergency surgery to remove a piece of his skull to reduce pressure on his brain from the swelling. He spent 17 days in the Intensive Care Unit, then transferred to another unit for 6 days before being transferred to an acute care facility in Bluffton, SC, about 30 minutes from their home.

Unfortunately, acute care does not provide long-term support, so he was released to go home on December 13th. Cognitively, he is making some progress, but he has little to no function of his left arm or leg and very limited strength on his right side to assist much with moving positions or transferring in and out of a bed. He is in a tremendous amount of pain due to complications associated with his immobility. He is scheduled for surgery to replace the missing piece of his skull on Thursday, January 9th. Inevitably, there will be some setbacks from that surgery, but we hope they are minimal.

We grew up in Bellingham, MA, but after 6 years in the Marines based in South Carolina, David decided that was the place where he wanted to raise a family. He met his wife in 2008 and he couldn’t have found a more perfect partner to share his life. He waited a bit longer than most people to start his family and it was worth the wait. Their kids are amazing, and he is the best father. My dad, Big T, would be so proud of the father David has become.

David is the sole provider for his family, and due to the uncertainty of his long-term prognosis we don't know when or if he will be able to work again to support his family. They have applied for VA benefits, but it is unknown when he may be approved or how much support will be available. Currently, he is not receiving the home health support he so desperately needs, so his wife and oldest son are providing his care day and night. Paying the monthly bills without David's income has significantly reduced their savings. There is an immediate financial need for medical bills and living expenses to support his long road to recovery and provide him every opportunity to be an active part of the amazing family he has created.

If you can donate to this amazing family, anything is something and they will appreciate every cent to help them regain some normalcy to their lives, even if it is a very different normal.

If you are unable to donate, we will be very grateful if you share this with your friends and family.