Michael Dean Swanson

Eight weeks. Three brain surgeries. Two hospital stays. 52 days in the hospital. One incredible fight. Setting the stage for the comeback of a lifetime.

On May 28, our friend, our brother, our fellow Aggie — Mike Swanson’s life changed in an instant. He was with his church group near Round Rock when a brain aneurysm burst, causing significant bleeding in his brain. He was rushed to Seton Round Rock, then Life Flighted to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin for emergency neurosurgical care.

WHAT HAPPENED

After an initial procedure to reach the aneurysm wasn’t successful, Mike underwent a five-hour craniotomy the next day, and doctors were able to clip the aneurysm and stop the bleeding. The days that followed were touch and go — Mike remained sedated on a ventilator, battled pneumonia, and underwent two more procedures to manage dangerous blood vessel spasms. Slowly, he fought his way back. He grew more alert, started talking, and one morning asked for a cup of coffee — a small moment that meant everything to the people who love him.

After two and a half weeks in the ICU and nearly two weeks of inpatient rehab, Mike made it home. Then, about two and a half weeks later, he began shaking uncontrollably and was rushed back to the hospital. He was diagnosed with hydrocephalus — a dangerous buildup of fluid on the brain, a known complication of his surgery and stroke. On July 20th, Mike underwent a third brain surgery to implant a shunt and manage the fluid long term.

The news since then has been genuinely hopeful. Mike’s long-term memory is intact, and his short-term memory is improving daily — after his most recent surgery, he could name 10 animals in 60 seconds, up from just 1 before the procedure. He’s home now, working hard every day on speech, balance, and memory, with his wife Michelle by his side.

WHY WE’RE FUNDRAISING

Mike spent his career at some of the top commercial real estate firms in the country — JLL, Staubach, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, and Avison Young. Last year he stepped into a ground-floor role with an early-stage real estate venture that didn’t yet offer standard corporate insurance or the financial stability of those established firms. Once he was no longer able to work, the company was unable to continue paying him.

Insurance has covered much of the hospital care so far, but there’s a gap after a stroke like this that most people don’t realize exists until they’re living it. It doesn’t cover someone to be with Mike during the day, and he can’t be left alone — Michelle has to work. It doesn’t cover the specialized neurocognitive therapy that is central to his recovery, which needs to happen consistently and often to actually work. And it doesn’t cover the more innovative, cutting-edge recovery therapies that could meaningfully speed up and improve his outcome — the kind of care that, right now, is only available if you can pay cash for it. On top of all of that, Mike isn’t able to earn an income right now, and none of us know how long that will last.

Home health care runs roughly $6,000–$6,500 a month. Neurocognitive therapy runs $175 an hour, and Mike needs a minimum of 10 hours a week. Week after week, those costs add up fast — and insurance doesn’t touch either one.

Mike and Michelle do have savings. But none of us want this to be the thing that wipes out everything they’ve built, and we don’t want Michelle to ever have to choose between Mike’s care and their financial future.

HOW HELP HOPE LIVE WORKS

We chose to fundraise through Help Hope Live instead of a site like GoFundMe for a few reasons. Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that has supported families through medical crises since 1983, and they do a few things differently:

— Their team verifies Mike’s medical need and pays his bills and expenses directly, so there’s full accountability and no risk of funds being misused

— A dedicated Client Services Coordinator supports Mike and Michelle throughout the process, so they aren’t managing the money and paperwork on top of everything else

— Because Help Hope Live administers the funds rather than Mike receiving them personally, it typically won’t jeopardize eligibility for benefit programs

— Most importantly for anyone giving: because Help Hope Live is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, every donation is tax-deductible

HOW DONATIONS WILL HELP

Funds raised go directly toward:

— In-home daytime care and support so Michelle can keep working

— Specialized neurocognitive therapy, which is not covered by insurance

— Advanced recovery therapies that give Mike the best possible shot at a full return

A group of us — Team Toby — has organized to help close this gap. Our goal is to raise $100,000 to support Mike and Michelle through this critical window. Every donation through Help Hope Live is tax-deductible and goes only toward Mike’s medical and related recovery expenses.

Everyone loves a comeback. But behind every comeback is a team nobody sees on the highlight reel — the ones who block, coach, and carry you when you can’t carry yourself, along with the boosters and fans in the stands who make it all possible in the first place. The comeback belongs to that whole team as much as it belongs to the one crossing the goal line.

That fight is in our blood as Texans and as Aggies — the same grit the Junction Boys forged in a brutal Texas summer, the kind that shows up down 27 or seven overtimes deep and refuses to quit. It lives in Mike now.

Every comeback is won a little at a time — not one big play, but every gift, every push, every hand on his back, stacked together. Some of us can give an inch. Some can give 20 yards. It’s all needed, and when you add it all up, that’s what a comeback is made of. Mike is the one on the field right now, fighting for every inch back. He can’t do it alone. He needs his team around him — and that team is all of us.

With gratitude,

Team Toby — Conrad, Clark, Bill, and Ronnie