We need your help

[g2theram]

Please stop and help me in one of three ways after you read this story of my friend Brandyn.

 

1) if you can add some money to this account

2) Share this link on your social media and ask your friends to do the same with enough exposure we can get this family the help they need

3) Think broad of any additional ways you can help. Possibly a friend with a connection to cars, someone who installs lifts anything you can think of will help.

 

The story is long please take a few mins to read it.

 

I met Brandyn at work, he has work with Verizon for many years and this last year he joined my team. Before joining my team he was mostly out on medical leave for him and his son. Usually when an employee comes back from medical leave their eyes are still glassed over and many of them wished they had a few more weeks to be at home. This was not the case with Brandyn his first day back he was eager to get back to work. The first week we didn’t talk much about what he was dealing with at home as I had only known him for a short time but I would still ask how he was doing both with getting back into work and taking care of home adjusting to the work life balance. He always had a positive outlook any time we talked. I quickly began to realize that work was now his safe haven it was the only place that contained structure and control. Most of us show up to work and do our 40 hours so we can afford to take a vacation and live carelessly for a week on a vacation. Brandyn showed up to work because of his drive and for those hours he was at work he had some semblance of control.

Brandyn’s natural drive to stay upbeat meant that he didn’t share many of the adversities that he and his family have gone through. Little by little I would hear of some of them but always with a smile on his face and a positive spin in story. 17 years ago Brandyn and his wife Jennifer were blessed with their son Isaac. By the age of 5 Isaac was wheel chair bound and diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy, Diabetes and Aspergers Syndrome. At this point the doctors told both Brandyn and Jennifer that Isaac had a life expectancy of no more than 14 years. Brandyn brought this story up to me as he smiled and held back tears explaining that he is the most thankful father there is that he is going to be celebrating Isaac’s 17th birthday and his family was coming from out of town to all get together.

Due to Isaac’s conditions Brandyn and Jennifer have decided that she will stay at home to be his caregiver and he will be the one to work and support the family financially. This last year the family was in a car accident, Brandyn took time off work as his wife and son both needed some attention after the car accident. During this time away Brandyn began to experience pain in his wrists and other joints. He visited the doctor and was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. The arthritis was so severe he had to undergo chemo therapy treatment for help in managing the symptoms. With these events he was out for much of the year when he finally came back to work it was clear that he could probably still use some more time but bills were piling up and his benefits had worn off. As I mentioned earlier Brandyn does not like to dwell on the negative in his life so he didn’t tell us how much pain he was still in. On the third day of him being back at work he asked more for help I went over to the computer that he was working at and began to point at things on the computer screen for him to click on. The pointer on the screen was barley moving, I looked at his face to notice he was grimacing in pain. At that point he used his left hand to grab is right elbow and help his right hand begin to control the mouse.

Overcoming health issue has not been their only problem. Two years ago their van with Isaac’s wheelchair lift was stolen from in front of their house. When Brandyn first told me about this he did it only in way that he could. Although the van was used for a joyride and a drug induced bender as evidence by the paraphernalia that was left behind he found a fun way to tell the story and chuckle about it. In the last year as Brandyn and Isaac’s medical bills were showing up quicker than Brandyn’s short term disability benefits were paying them down they were forced to lower the insurance coverage on their van. Right as Brandyn came back to work the van was stolen for a second time. Brandyn continued to have hope that it would show back up just as the wandering lawn gnomes often do. It now has been long enough that he is sure it is gone and will not be coming back.

A group of his coworkers have decided that they want to raise $25,000 to help support the family. The money will be used to fund the purchase of a new van and wheelchair lift. If there is money left over it will go towards the cost of medical bills or any other outstanding financial burden that they are facing.

 

https://www.gofundme.com/wheels-for-isiac

 

 

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[g2theram]

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this post. In just 24 hours we have already helped the family raise over $3k

 

Please continue to help out in any way you can.

 

Sadly I don't have my salt tank up and running currently or I would offer frags to people who donated. Oh well do it because it's nice and feels good to help someone out.

 

 

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