On October 24th, 2010 around 5am, Owen Higdon was found unresponsive and barely clinging to life on a hotel room floor. His family had planned a fishing trip for the weekend, in Panama City, but soon discovered that fishing wasn't the reason they were all together that morning. He was rushed to the hospital by ambulance where his family spent days waiting for him to wake up. Around the one week mark, we finally got the news that he had multiple strokes on both sides of his brain, mostly affecting the Thalamus, which is what controls the regulations of sleeping and waking. But, even after 2 CT scans of his brain, one of his chest, one of his stomach, two MRIs, an echochardiagram, an angiogram, Xrays, and sonograms, the Doctors were still unable to pinpoint the exact cause of Owen's strokes. During his last few days in the hospital, he was awake and alert more than he was asleep. He was responding well to physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy, so they decided to discharge him on the morning of November 3rd. He went straight to a rehab facility, located in his community, where he has been doing exceptionally well. He receives approximately 3 hours of therapy per day; split between physical, occupational, and speech. They are working to increase his strength and to control his impulsiveness. He has made so much progress already and his family is hoping that when he is discharged home that he will continue improving with the help of home health or outpatient rehabilitation.
Owen doesn't have any form of insurance and at the present time his family is paying for his rehabilitation out of pocket. While he was in the hospital, the family was assured numerous times that his county of residence had an Emergency Fund, which went into effect the beginning of October, that would cover his hospital bills. Unfortunately that is not the case. The bills are beginning to pour in and we're asking for help. Any size donation would be so very much appreciated. We want him to take this time to heal, not worrying about how he's going to pay for his healing. Please, help us help him.
Thank you,
Owen's Family
As many of you know, Owen is not only my ex-husband, he is my closest friend. We have been through a lot together and found that friendship through the past few years has proven to benefit us both. Anyone that knows Owen at all knows what a kind-hearted man he is. He is gentle and considerate to everyone he meets and is always first in line to help someone in need. Owen needs your prayers as he works his way through what is likely the biggest challenge of his life - recovering from a stroke. He has done amazingly well in the past 3 weeks but has a long way to full recovery. We know God is good and we know that God made sure had family around him at a time when he would need them most. The family and I appreciate any support you may offer to Owen at this time. I love you Owen Higdon (aka Big Buddy)!
ReplyDeleteOwen,
ReplyDeleteWe love you and continue to keep you in our prayers. May God bless you with a total healing.
Love,
Greg, Penny, Steven, and Stephanie Amann