There’s something intensely uplifting about a community rallying for one of their own. Stories about acts of kindness prove that there are guardian angels walking among us… and these everyday heroes can always be counted on to dig deep and do what they can to help someone in need.
When droves of people answered one woman’s plea, their generosity blew her away.
On the 6th of August 2020, Alexi McKinley walked into any daughter’s worst nightmare. She found her dad awake, but non-responsive and completely paralyzed on his right side.
Alexi rushed him to Providence Hospital in Everett, Washington, where a computerized tomography (CT) and MRI scan confirmed her worst fears.
Her dad, Alan, had suffered a massive stroke.
Alan was admitted into intensive care. All they could do was watch and wait. Two days later, the doctors delivered the devastating news.
The stroke – the second one Alan had suffered in 11 years – had affected a massive area of his brain.
They told Alexi that her dad would never walk, talk, swallow food, or comprehend what was going on around him ever again.
Alexi was advised to consider placing her dad in a hospice so that his needs could be tended to properly.
“One week ago my dads doctor told me he would never be able to swallow again, use the right side of his body, comprehend speech or say anything. They were talking about hospice,” she wrote on Instagram.
But instead, Alexi started praying.
One week later, something incredible happened.
“TODAY my dad got released to acute rehab after blowing doctors away with his progress after such a massive stroke (a second one, at that!) he can eat by himself (soft foods for now), move the right side of his body, walk by himself, answer questions and is learning how to speak better and better each day,” Alexi wrote on Instagram.
But Alan still had a long road to recovery.
Alexi, who is the owner of a social media marketing company, decided to set up Instagram and TikTok accounts for her dad in order to share his progress with the world.
She also wanted to raise awareness about two symptoms that are common in stroke victims.
Apraxia, she writes, is “the inability to take a thought and form a sentence,” and aphasia means that her dad has difficulty understanding instructions and some words.
Alan needed physical therapy and speech therapy, in addition to occupational therapy to regain the muscle movement in his right hand.
But, now that her dad was recovering, another problem arose.
Alan’s health insurance wouldn’t cover some of his much-needed treatment, and Alexi was his sole provider. And the medical bills were piling up fast. But Alexi had an idea.
She decided to ask for help with her dad’s medical bills – and was surprised by the response she got!
“I am my dads POA and sole-provider, and It would mean so much to me to never have to see my dad worry about how he is going to pay his never ending medical bills,” she worte on her Go Fund Me page.
“If you have even an extra $5 to spare for this Two Stroke Survivor, it would mean so much more than I could ever put in words.”
In January 2021, Alan had recovered enough to go home. And that’s when Alexi told him the news.
“After thousands of people saw this man’s stroke recovery on TikTok, they united in raising money to cover his hospital costs,” says the description video on Caters Clips’ Youtube channel.
In the heartwarming video, Alexi tells Alan that all of his hospital bills have been paid for by his followers!
Alan’s remarkable progress – as you can see in the video – is a true miracle. He’s able to walk unassisted, and he can comprehend what Alexi is saying… even if he has some trouble expressing himself.
The expression of gratitude on his face is absolutely heartwarming. And no words are necessary.
To see Alan’s reaction to finding out that he won’t have to worry about his medical bills, get the tissues ready and watch the video below.
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