When Dave had his heart attack a few years ago, your support, both financially and emotionally, was instrumental in getting Dave back on his feet.

I'm reaching out to you today because we are in a situation now where we are at a tough and unexpected turn in the road. As much as we hoped that 5 years ago was going to be the only time we needed to ask for that type of support, it's become clear that we can't meet this new challenge alone. 

Soon after Dave's heart attack, we noticed some cognitive issues. At the time there were lots of potential explanations for this, why memory lapses or other seemingly minor cognitive issues could be happening, and why they might, with time, resolve on their own. We had hoped to see improvement, but the opposite has happened instead.  It's gotten to the point of impacting Dave's memory and cognition so that activities he's done for years, like playing music, are suddenly difficult. The progression of these issues seems to be accelerating.

In May 2023, Dave was looking forward to using his years of experience in a new position. Unfortunately, he was struggling with the cognitive demands and was relieved of his position. Getting appropriate medical attention and diagnostics has been difficult. Dave was extremely disappointed that he could not get the help in time to keep his job, but he is determined to get the help he needs, so he can return to working and all the other things he enjoys so much.

Dave continues to look for work while waiting for state Unemployment to finish processing. It is taking quite a bit of time for the claim to be processed. It's been 8 weeks so far. Part of the delay is due to having had to refile the claim (from OH, where Dave's job was, to PA, where we live). It's been 3 weeks since PA received the claim. We are hopeful that it will get sorted soon, and Dave is hopeful he can find something that would enable him to not need unemployment. Until the doctors have a chance to figure out what is going on and start treatment, any work Dave applies for needs to be something that he can do in his current state and be done while also going to necessary medical appointments. 

I too, am taking on extra work, mostly in off hours, so I don't jeopardize the work I have currently and so I can accompany Dave to his appointments. 

With all of what Dave and I are trying to do, we are not making ends meet and our family needs your help. There is no clear sign of how much longer we will be unable to pay the bills that are mounting. Please know how much we look forward to the day we can let you know that Dave's health and our finances are in a better place. We can't wait until we can pay this forward!

A donation of any amount will make all the difference in paying for utilities, food, mortgage, and other basic necessities. 

Hopefully, we will have good news to announce to you soon and know this could be a longer haul, which we are prepared for, but wouldn't be without all of you.

We are thankful for each of you <3