Lets start DRIVING !

1.Imagine not remembering.  

2.Imagine paying for your groceries and then leaving them at the  store.

3.Imagine listening to your doctor consultation and forgetting it the moment you walk out the door.

4.Imagine you not owing someone money but they told you, you did and  you paid them.

5.Imagine having to walk everywhere you go at the age of 54 in the middle of winter.

Its frustrating when someone you love has medical issues that medicine will not cure. Spending a day with Mark is like listening to a repeated broken record in which he will repeat what he has told you at least 3 times until he may remember he told you that or you have repeated to him he already told you that. He is on disability for just that reason and can not hold a job, even if it is a repetitious job as he can not remember if he did that even if it was moments ago.  

My brother Mark has what  physicians call normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH)  a condition caused by the buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (fluid typically found in the spinal cord and brain) primarily in the brain's ventricles. Hydrocephalus, in fact, means "water on the brain."The fluid buildup occurs when there is a block in the flow or absorption of the cerebrospinal fluid. Often, despite the fluid buildup, there is little or no increase in the pressure inside the skull, thus the name "normal" pressure hydrocephalus. These are the issues my brother Mark faces on a day to day basis.

There are three symptoms of NPH :

#1 The earliest symptom is a change in walking and gait (leg movement and stride) or a feeling that one’s feet are stuck to the floor. Your balance may be poor, and you may walk with a wide, slow step.

#2 Urinary frequency or : You may have trouble with leaking urine or feeling like you have to go to the bathroom frequently. You may not be able to make it to the bathroom in time.

#3 Cognitive changes: People with NPH show some symptoms of dementia, such as confusion, short-term memory loss and behavioral changes.

The prognosis varies with NPH. Early diagnosis is imperative. While some individuals don’t improve much with shunt placement, others make almost a full recovery if NPH is diagnosed and treated early. Typically, the walking gait of the individual is the first to improve, and the cognitive functioning is the last to improve, if it does. Unfortunately,  his was not caught early enough and the damage cannot be undone.

My father, who passed in 2014. God Bless him, he took care of my brother Mark for years and although Mark can live on his own, He needs help with obtaining something to drive,. Mark has been putting away 100.00 a month for 7 months now and is a long way from reaching his goal of buying a truck so he does not have to walk every where, help with all his medical issues, remembering appointments,  groceries, clothes shopping, your basic everyday needs. These places are not close to where he lives and walking seems to be getting harder and harder for him which is part of his disability. I live 20 minutes from him. It doesn't seem far unless you are making trips in for a job and then attending to  his constant needs. He forgets to get a phone card  and I can not get ahold of him, he than misses appointments, and everyday its something new. The vehicle or moving him closer to me- one or the other would be perfect. I can not do all this on my own and your donations would be used in that manner.

It is my goal to purchase a dependable vehicle for Mark to get around in before winter arrives. The winters can be brutal in ND so walking is out of the question. It is essential to Marks well-being and my determination that I succeed in my efforts to attain my goal. I hope that you will consider making this fundraiser a success possible with a generous and much appreciated donation. It is vital that I succeed before winter sets in, here in North Dakota

We are so grateful for your support.With your help I can attain my goal and we can be rewarded knowing we did our part.

Helping one person at a time because it feels right.

Yours faithfully and God Bless,

Paula Reiswig

Head of Fundraising