In 2015, Pat suffered a back injury that necessitated surgery.
He put in a lot of effort to recover from his surgery, but unfortunately, the implanted hardware did not work as planned. Pat had to go through a second surgery to replace the hardware. However, the second surgery was also unsuccessful, and he had to undergo a third surgery. In 2016, he was diagnosed with cancer in his left parotid gland, which required invasive facial surgery with reconstruction and skin grafts.
Pat underwent a fourth back surgery due to uncontrollable pain in his legs. He was later diagnosed with idiopathic progressive polyneuropathy.
One of Pat’s friends says,
“I have known Pat since we were eight years old, and when I learned of his difficulties, I brought him to Austin to seek additional medical care that he could not obtain on his own. During the two years he was with me, he had a successful knee replacement, and when we consulted a neurosurgeon who is known to treat complex back cases, it was found that he had spinal cord compression in his cervical spine. We were told that a minor automobile accident or fall could be fatal. So, the C-spine was the first back surgery in Austin.”
Once he had rehabbed and recovered from that surgery, he had more back surgeries for a T-spine herniated disc, more lumbar surgeries above and below the previously surgerized areas, and had the SI (sacroiliac) joints fused, as the surgeon felt that nerves over those joints could be adding to Pat’s chronic pain. Through all of those procedures, Pat kept a positive attitude and held onto hope that the next treatment would alleviate his high level of pain. As of April 2024, he is now using a morphine drip to reduce his pain.
He was trialed twice for a spinal stimulator, but he got no relief. Pat is now dependent on a walker or wheelchair because of the severe neuropathy, especially in his feet. Because of Pat’s limited financial resources, he is now living in an old, below-par senior apartment complex. Pat needs help for cleaning services and money for meals from the bistro at the complex. Pat pays a neighbor to take his trash out and pick up prescriptions for him. The complex recently raised his rent $100 per month and reduced the available resources, which Pat could not afford anyway.
TLSN issued a grant last year of $6500 to help Pat with incidental expenses.
Presently, Pat does have home health care, which most of us know involves just a visit and vitals check.
Pat has been diagnosed with AMD (age-related macular degeneration) and, within the past year, has become unable to drive himself. He has eye injections every three months, which help to slow the progression, but his low vision causes him a lot of difficulties.
4/01/2024—The management of Pat's Senior Living home informed Him he needed to move to another facility that offered assisted living. He cannot afford this, so Pat Brown's lawyer friend is working to find government funds to help Pat move into an assisted living facility.
Please help Pat if you can by donating to this link,
Through all his trials, Pat manages to maintain his charming personality and sense of humor. It is heartbreaking for all his friends to witness his deterioration and inability to fully care for his needs.
My hope is that your organization will consider Pat for a grant.