Hello everybody, this is Corrin and I'm Greg's younger sister. I'd like to start things off by thanking all of you who helped Greg and Alyssa when my mom and I first reached out. Without any other options at our disposal, we, unfortunately, find ourselves having to reach out again. Mom calls Greg a few times a week, but his condition causes it to be nearly impossible for him to make or return phone calls. He has shared the following update with her to keep things clear and stay transparent. The original hope was to raise about 2/3 of the original goal quickly and be able to give Greg and Alyssa some relief, a chance to breathe and some time to get things in order while waiting for Greg's unemployment to be approved. Last week Greg was told because his previous employer is a non-profit and was exempt from paying into his unemployment insurance. So, there is no insurance money to claim. Disability applications have been filed. Now the game playing and waiting starts. With your help, they were able to stay current on their bills, but they are falling behind again. Rent, being the largest concern, is always a tenuous situation. Their landlord is not the most amenable person to work with and Greg's health is fragile at best right now. The depression and anxiety have him trapped in his house. He cannot drive. and even talking on the phone is extremely challenging. This has led to bouts of loneliness that usually land him in bed for hours. He calls them naps. In addition, his hands are not healing well. He is experiencing increased pain and loss of mobility. All physical therapy has stopped for now and he has been fitted for two pairs of braces. Each brace is sold separately and not covered by insurance; of course, all of this just makes everything else he's dealing with, worse. Alyssa was able to find an efficient, dependable and trustworthy mechanic who has agreed to help fix Greg's vehicle. Then he can take care of the tags and inspection. This will give them both the freedom and availability they need right now. Thanks to your help, Alyssa's little truck is doing great. Another major concern is the lapsing of their auto and renters’ insurance (bundle). Tala, his therapy dog, although doing pretty well, had a recent health scare. She is recovering nicely and went back to work at Greg's side today. At the moment, Tala is also behind on her shots and check-ups. Greg has a caseworker who is doing her best to help him find benefits wherever he can and may have found some help for Tala that is free because she is so important to him. But everything takes time. Greg also wanted us to share a few positive updates: He has been making some big strides both in therapy and at home. He knows why he is suffering and when the initial wound was made. He is also sure he knows who was the root cause of everything. He is proud of these things, but there's so much to unpack there. Please pray. Positive therapy over the past few months has led to Greg's first completely successful evening in the kitchen in a long time. As you all know, he loves to cook, but hasn't done any real cooking in over 9 months. He started having cooking 101-type accidents that eventually chipped away at his self-confidence until he couldn't walk into the kitchen without suffering a major anxiety attack. Last night he made an amazing birthday dinner for Alyssa. By all reports, everything was perfect. That's huge! Greg has made another small, but very significant step towards getting better. Much like the kitchen, he has not been able to spend any positive time in his shop. He single-handedly (no pun intended) transformed their basement into a fully functional woodworking shop, but for months has not been able to step foot in there due to the anxiety attacks it would trigger and the depressive meltdowns that followed. He said last week was the first time he intentionally walked into his shop and didn't start shaking and freaking out. Pray this positive stuff continues, please! Greg doesn't shine anymore. Remember his passion and energy when drumming or singing? Remember how he threw himself completely into EVERYTHING he did? Or how he treated others? How he never said "no", and gave when he didn't have for himself? He can't anymore. But he desperately wants to, and the damage being done mentally, and daily, is killing him. My brother is a good man. He has been a good person his whole life, and all of you can attest to this. What is happening to him is NOT his fault. Mom and I know you've all given and done so much already. so, we were thinking, maybe you could talk to colleagues and friends at places like work, church or school and pool some funds together. A strength-in-numbers sort of mindset! Mom and I aren't just screaming in the dark for help. We both hold degrees in counseling and therapy. It is a blessing that we have the knowledge to be able to help Greg but it's very hard for us when there is nothing tangible we can do to ease the pain and pressure he is feeling right now. In closing we just want to say, you guys know Greg and Alyssa. Many of you know them better than we do. You all know the kind of hearts they have for each other, each of you and people in general. This IS NOT a situation where the two of them simply made bad decisions they are now suffering the repercussions from. This is the result of being completely blindsided by something bigger than anything they ever thought they would experience. Think of it as a family member losing one of their senses and having to deal with both the loss and how to go on after and they have to deal with it all while their brain constantly tells them they are not good enough, they are not loved and they don't have a reason to go on. Please, be sure to keep Alyssa in your thoughts and prayers. Not enough can be said about her role and shared risk in this. She has to watch daily as Greg suffers, and somehow turn the pain and fear she feels into positive energy because she still has a business to build. Please pray for her continued ability to do so. She feels a lot too. It's a different kind of sorrow, fear and loneliness but it all still hurts the same, and as they suffer individually but together, neither can unload the pain and fear each feels onto the other, but all each of them wants to do is take away the other's pain and fear. Please think about this as you consider how you can help them. Thank you all again for everything. And for reading this all of the way through. I am sorry it is so long but my brother's life is in danger and this is the one thing we think could provide immediate relief. Thank you for considering helping Greg and we hope you do. Please continue to pray for him and Alyssa. Everyone deserves happiness, success and joy in their lives. Especially these two!
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