Help a Hero With a Brain Injury Solve His Medical Mystery, Restore His Memory, and Keep His Home

Not so long ago, Kurt was leading a mission at his church against human trafficking. He put himself in harm’s way on a regular basis to honor God and the basic human right of freedom and safety. During and after Hurricane Harvey, Kurt was out helping people, rescuing livestock, volunteering at emergency centers and buying and donating thousands of dollars of supplies. He is a hero.

He was also a driven worker and expert in his field. From a poor family, Kurt has worked almost every day since he was 11. 18-hour days were not uncommon for him. He would work for months at a time with no days off and had tried to buy the business he had worked hard to help turn around. He had worked at Texas A&M, where he started as a student worker, for a decade and a half, and poured every penny of overtime he had worked to save into his business venture.

On the morning of August 28th, all of that changed. After two days of increasing, crippling pain in his head, Kurt awoke unable to speak or move. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital and was in ICU for several days and in two hospitals for almost three weeks where he underwent several tests for stroke and other conditions but doctors could not find the cause of the symptoms.

Unfortunately, the business purchase went so wrong that Kurt was left totally taken advantage of with no savings, a stack of tens of thousands of dollars in uncashable paychecks, no job, and no health insurance.

Kurt has persistent amnesia that goes back over two years, but sometimes goes back as far as ten years. He cannot remember his home or his dog, knows nothing about his bills, or has any recollection of the work he did or the business he sacrificed everything for. Kurt has seizure episodes and “grey outs” and does things without being aware. When discharged from the hospital, Kurt still couldn’t stand or walk, but without insurance for rehab, the hospital sent him home - to a house he didn’t know - with a wheelchair, bedside commode, and urinal. He wanders into parts of his house and freezes, stuck for minutes before he “comes back” from wherever his brain has taken him. Last week, left unsupervised, Kurt left the house and came to in front of a building he didn’t recognize. He was completely panicked and disoriented and had to be found and taken home. He has no memory of leaving the house.

Kurt has been recommended to a functional specialist who has identified brain damage in his cerebellum and has treated him, but her office is on the other side of a large town, and her treatments are almost $200 each visit, with treatments at least twice a week.

Kurt also has to see a neurologist but does not have insurance to cover his condition. One simple office visit is almost $200. He has no coverage for prescriptions so cannot afford all of the several medications so far prescribed to him. He needs further extensive tests and studies, as well as rehab and constant supervision. Any stress or exertion can send Kurt into a confused state where his cognitive and motor skills revert to an almost childlike state.

Doctors still don’t know what is happening in Kurt’s brain. He is still largely confined to a wheelchair for safety and still uses a urinal. He is unable to work, has no money for doctor appointments to unravel the mystery in his brain, for medication, for treatment, and soon he will be homeless.

Kurt is a beautiful 36-year-old man who still thinks he is 34 because of his amnesia.He is in constant pain, is frustrated, confused, and scared by what is going on. This superhero man now feels like a burden and has lost the will to live.

Please help Kurt pay for the medical help he needs, to keep his home, to help him keep his head above water while he navigates this awful reality of being unable to work. Kurt is hopeful that with your help he will be able to return to his full life and work and give back to you through services or through volunteering in your name.