This Go Fund Me Page is for my husband Steve Steinhour. At only 54 years of age he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome which has left him with paralysis. Steve had gone to a routine doctors appointment to get get his blood sugar levels checked when the staff member told him that he would need to get his tetanus and shingles vaccinations. He was not told about the serious effects that the shingles vaccine may cause. Within a week he was experiencing some pain in his arm and shoulder, tingling in his hands and feet as well as numbness. He was sent home with prescriptions for anti inflammatory and pain meds (Advil and back pain patches.) for a pinched nerve. Of course, neither of the meds or patches worked and the pain became worse. In the following week, he woke up to a slanted face, terrible pain, weakness in his legs, numbness in his hands and feet. Steve had difficulty standing and walking, as he fell a few times trying to get out the door and into our car so I could take him to Urgent Care. While in Urgent Care they connected him to a blood pressure machine that measured his blood pressure over 190 and at times even in the 200’s. The examination went on to find that his reflexes were not responding. They admitted him to the ER. A MRI, CAT and a spinal fluid tests were ordered. The spinal fluid found a diagnosis of Guillain Barre Syndrome. He was then admitted to Critical Care and stayed there for a week. Guillain Barre Syndrome is a rare disorder that can effect 1 out of 100,000 people. Your own immune system will attack your nervous system which leads to paralysis. There is also difficulty in facial movements, speaking, chewing and breathing. While in the hospital he was given an IV of immunoglobulin also known as IVIG Therapy. The IV was given to him for five days and it treats the deficiencies in the antibodies in the blood. The healthy antibodies from donated blood is extracted and administered to fight the cells that attack the nervous system. Steve is challenged with severe pain that not even morphine could take away. So if you have not donated blood please do so and if you are currently a blood donor, thank you for your donation in helping people in desperate need. It means so much! Steve was released from the hospital and entered a rehabilitation center as they said that there was nothing more they could do for him in the hospital. There, he spent 3 weeks as they managed his pain, blood pressure and assisted with his daily care getting him in/out of bed so he could use the bathroom and go to his various therapy sessions. Although the order from his doctor was that he was to have 3 one hour sessions every day, this rehab center was short staffed so he did not receive all of his sessions. While he was in the rehabilitation center, he receives an email from his employer that he was terminated. Even as he tried to reach out to his HR dept. three times, they never returned his call. We found out that his medical insurance will end on the last day of the month and it did as the rehab center was not able to let him stay. So we brought him home, still unable to walk, or use his hands, and still in great pain. As of today the Cobra insurance has not become active but we found that it does not include disability services. Steve is living in our basement in Washington State as he is not able to commute up/down the stairs and around our property. Our old home built in the early 1900’s is not built for a disabled person. So using the toilet and shower is not possible in our tiny bathroom as its not very wheelchair friendly. My daughters and I continue to help him with his daily care. Getting him in/out of bed into a wheelchair, feeding, toileting, bathing with wash cloths, administering medications, getting him clothed etc. His symptoms are not improving and he is getting weaker. We have applied for various state benefits but the process is so slow and we have a huge cut in our income now. I have had to spend a few hundred dollars for products and tools for disabled adults just for daily self care and safety. My husband Steve is a generous man and has even participated in a couple of bike rides from Seattle to Portland to raise money for others. The bike ride is to go 200 miles (in two days) from Seattle Washington to Portland Oregon! How is that for dedication and unselfishness? Never would we have thought that He would be in this position to ask for assistance from others. So this Go Fund Me account will aid in helping with medical and general bills such as utilities etc. as well as helping in getting Steve healthy, to be able to stand, walk, use his arms and hands (get therapy). We are asking for any help you can give and it doesn’t matter what the amount is cause we are so humbled and grateful for anything that will help Steve get back on his feet again. -Wendie Steinhour "My dad has always been strong when things got tough. However as people get older, it gets harder to stay strong. Although I know that he will pull through with these conditions, he will need a little help at the end of the day. My dad has accomplished many things in his life and I know that there's more he wants to do, but now accomplishing simple things like standing and walking again is the greatest goal he has to conquer first. My dad has been one of my biggest supporters, as I am to him now more than ever." -Jessica Steinhour "My dad has always been someone that I've always looked up to. Someone with so much heart, laughter, and knowlege it makes you think theyll stay the same forever. But when my dad had collapsed and I saw the decline of his health and him not being his full self, completly shattered me. it made me realize how much life is fleeting and how much we take it for granted. Like the ability to stand and walk or to use our hands to hold and create, or even just to step outside to get sunshine on your face. My dad has always been my number one supporter, and now I am doing everything that I can to be with him and my family in this test of life. Here to help him heal and recover and to root him on to have a second chance to be healthy and stronger than he was before mentally and physically." -Julia Steinhour
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