One week ago Friday night my younger brother Marc ‘Sparky’ suffered a stroke. He had traveled to TX with his wife Lina, and 2.5 year old Charli to go to a wedding. He started having intense migraines on the flight and then started sweating profusely in TX. He was transported to an acute care, where he was given Atavan and released as CT didn’t show anything. On his way back to car, he started seizing, face dropping, speech slurring. So family member took him back in. He was finally transported to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio after 3 hours from his initial symptoms.
Apparently, the clot is right next to his brain stem.
We thought the worst on Saturday morning. My parents were on their way down, and then they gave us 72 hours. My brother and I jumped on a plane that night and flew down.
Within the first week, he has moved his eyes up and down, staying open when people he loves are talking/showing him things like pictures, but NOT side to side. He’s moved his head a few times and tongue once, but both just slightly. Sometimes his reflexes fire when pinched and he shifts his arms forward.
He received a trach and a tube in his chest for food, instead of everything going through his mouth/nose.
The doctor told us last Sunday, the best case would be rolling him out in a wheelchair eventually as a quad, so he is able to watch his 2.5 year old child grow up. He could communicate through his eyes and a machine….similar to that of Christopher Reeve and Stephen Hawking. And Marc would make the best of it, as he always does for everything else.
We ask for prayers. Gigantic prayers and super positive thoughts. We need your prayers to help him survive and with ‘baby steps’ improve everyday. He’s just coming out of swelling near his brain stem, so these next days are crucial for further development. We pray to see him breathe past the rate of the ventilator for consistent amounts of time, continue showing progress, and pray that nothing will be further damaged.*
Currently, we would like to limit visitors as he has surgeries/ assessments he’ll be going through. He needs his rest. However, if you are a friend of his from out of town that is like family to him, please contact us directly and we’ll let you know the best time to come. The hospital is only allowing 2 people at a time to visit, and 1 spot is always reserved for either Lina or my mom and dad.
We love and appreciate you all thinking and praying for him. We know it has helped tremendously. Keep them coming for Sparky.
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