Grant Barry

Grants Story

At the age of 21, Grant Barry was a fun loving, hardworking, outdoorsman, who enjoyed hiking, fixing cars, and hanging out with friends. He had earned his Eagle Scout, started college, and worked as an auto mechanic for two years when he decided to begin training to become a commercial pilot.  He was days away from moving to Austin to begin his pilot training when he suffered a rupture in his brain. Grant had been working out at the gym with his gym buddy when he had an arterial venal malformation (AVM) in his right cerebellum rupture. An AVM is a birth defect that typically goes unnoticed until it ruptures, often causing fatalities.

Through no fault of his own Grants’ dream of becoming a pilot ended. He had three cranial procedures in four days and spent over a month in the ICU. As a result of his injury, Grant lost complete use of the right side of his body, his ability to swallow or speak. He also became completely deaf in his right ear and was left with constant vertigo and dizziness. After months in rehabilitation, he relearned how to walk, talk, and use the right side of his body.  Although he regained much of his strength and mobility back by working with a personal trainer, he still suffered with vertigo, headaches, and difficulty eating/swallowing. Post surgery he had developed a psuedomeningocele (the bump on the back of his head) that caused him constant pain.

It was almost four years to the day when he had an opportunity to have the psuedomeningocele repaired surgically.  On April 1, 2026, Grant had the “cranial vault” surgery to repair his bump.  The surgery was successful, but within minutes of completion, he developed hydrocephalus (swelling of the brain).  Grant spent the next three months in the neuro ICU.  He had several additional cranial procedures and eventually was able to get a shunt installed in his head to prevent the brain from swelling. He was moved to a step-down and stayed for another month until he was stable enough to go to an acute rehabilitation center.  He has been in the neuro-rehab center since the end of August.  We anticipate his return to home on September 22, almost 6 months since he went in for what was supposed to be an overnight recovery.

When he gets home, he will have many more months of Physical therapies, Occupational therapy, and speech/neuro therapies before he may feel comfortable enough to return to some of the many activities and friendships he had before this latest medical event.

We ask that you continue to pray for Grants uninterrupted recovery and consider providing support to Grants Help Hope Live account.  Help Hope Live, is a not-for-profit organization that ensures that any donations to Grants recovery are used strictly for medical expenses and allows for all of your cash donations to be reported as tax deductions.