Prior to 2019, Steve was an active guy who worked as a CRNA in the healthcare industry who enjoyed visiting national parks and spending time with his children and grandchildren.
In December of 2019, Steve contracted pneumonia which severely impacted his breathing so much that he had to be put on a BiPaP machine to assist with his breathing. His lungs did not improve, and he was getting weaker by the day. After numerous tests he was finally diagnosed with ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s disease) on March 17, 2020. Everything changed that day as we realized the changes Steve would go through and that this is a disease with no cure. The average life expectancy after being diagnosed with ALS is 2-5 years.
Since 2020, Steve has slowly lost the ability to stand without assistance, use of his hands and breathing for longer than a couple of minutes without a machine. Before he was able to get on disability, all of his finances were exhausted to care for him.
Now that he is unable to use his hands or stand without assistance, he cannot be safely transferred into a regular car. He uses a PerMobile, which allows for full body control similar to a quadriplegic wheelchair. The wheelchair weighs 400lbs and cannot be loaded into a regular car. Wheelchair transportation companies are not locally available within a reasonable price ($200 for transportation to and from a doctor).
For the last year, Steve has not been able to go farther than his wheelchair can drive, since he does not have a wheelchair van for transport. Doctor’s visits have been transitioned to video conferencing due to the high cost of hiring a transportation van. Imagine being restricted to your neighborhood and home, and not being able to go on simple outings like visiting the grocery store or the park. This has been Steve’s life for the last year.
Steve and his family are requesting donations to assist with getting a wheelchair accessible van for transportation and other assistive devices. Help us give Steve the normal freedom we have everyday!
Family and friends of Steve Brown are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with Catastrophic Illness.
Steve has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.
For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.
Thank you for your support!
