Tracy Lamar, wife of Mark Lamar wrote…
On November 14th my husband Mark was admitted to Cleveland Clinic after being life flighted from Firelands Hospital. He had a brain aneurysm. During surgery he suffered a stroke. He is recovering and doing well, but won't be back to his "old self" for a while yet. We are blessed with the fact that he is even still with us! It was the scariest time of our lives, as I'm sure you can imagine. We appreciate anything you can do to help our kids stay in the programs they love. Unfortunately those are the events that are the first to get cut when the medical bills start coming in the mail.
The Piggyback Foundation was able to help Tessa and Spencer Lamar continue their piano lessons and sports programs. After Tracy went back to work Mark suffered a seizure while at home with his children. We are so proud of Tessa and Spencer for their bravery and quick thinking. Mark was not breathing and Tessa was able to resuscitate him as Spencer called 911. They saved their father's life!
Tracy wrote to us about her amazing children…
I wanted to share something with you. It's about my kids~ of course I think they are pretty amazing. :)
Monday night Mark had a seizure. I was at work~ the kids were home with him. He told the kids he was going down to the basement to walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes...when the timer went off they were supposed to get him. He never made it down to the basement. He fell at the top of the stairs. Thankfully he didn't make it down the stairs, or fall down the stairs!!!
The kids didn't hear him fall, but Tessa noticed he was laying on the floor, she ran over to him and he was blue. She said he wasn't breathing and his lips were turning purple. She pumped his chest a few times and he started breathing. She tried talking to him but he wasn't responding. Spencer called 911, he told the operator what was going on and our address. Tessa said he wasn't talking to them, he looked at them, but wasn't "really there" in his eyes.
Tess called my Mom & she came over. Spencer called the neighbor & he came over. One of our good friends heard the information on the police scanner and came right over also. (Thank God for friends and family!) Tessa called me at work. She first left me a voicemail on my cell phone and then called my work directly.
I am so proud of my kids Lisa. They absolutely did the right thing. They were so brave! I'm not sure I could have held it together like they did! Our kids have been thru so much these past few months, and for them to keep their calm, and know what to do during all of this, just makes my heart swell!
Our friends brought them to the ER later and they explained to the doctor what Mark looked like during the seizure. They both gave chilling descriptions of what they saw. I am still amazed at how well they handled everything.
I have been pretty worried since I went back to work about the "what ifs"...like what if something happens when I'm not there....will my kids know what to do? I think I can breathe a little easier now. They were both smart enough, and strong enough, to do the right thing.
I just wanted to share this with you in the hopes that it might amaze you like it did me. You, and your organization, spend so much of your time and energy doing for others...taking care of the kids that might otherwise miss out on things. I believe that keeping the kids involved in all the activities they are in helps them to cope better with the difficulties they have to face at home sometimes. They don't have to sit at home and dwell on all of life's struggles like we adults sometimes have to do. I hope this story brings a smile to your heart in the sense that what you do makes a difference in everyone's lives!
**Mark is ok. He's a little banged up and a little emotional, but he's ok. They let him come home the same night & we took him for an EEG yesterday. We are waiting for the results, but I have faith that it will all be ok.
Tracy
Smile-Dream-Believe
The Piggyback Foundation is proud to help the Lamar family and happy they are able to keep the faith and know that their community is here for them during this stressful time.
