Just Bliss

Our father’s name is Edward Stephens. He served in the army from June 1967 to December 1969. He was in Vietnam in communications from December of 1967 to December of 1968. He married our mom in 1980 and had five children between the years of 1984 and 1995. He was an active member of the North Reading community. He campaigned for Brad Jones, ran for school committee, was an active parent in every aspect, coached every sport for each child, ran a dunk tank for fourth of July celebration, the list goes on. In 1995 he was told he had unusual white matter brain changes. In 2000 he had a brain aneurysm. In 2004, 2007, and 2013 he suffered strokes. The one in 2007 left him with left side paralysis. He has had many seizures, has 11 stents in his body, suffers from kidney disease, neuropathy, PTSD, and is now confined to a wheelchair thanks to agent orange. His ischemic heart disease has lead the VA to label him one hundred percent disabled.

He has spent the last ten months in Wilmington Healthcare Center. He was able to come home six months ago, but cannot due to the fact that there is no handicapped accessibility to our home. Also, interior modifications need to be done. We need our deck to be rebuilt, and an outside chairlift to be installed.

We have spent every waking hour going back and forth with the VA  trying to get the funding we need to bring him home and have been denied multiple times. The holidays are coming and we want nothing more than to spend them in our parents home with our father. We are asking for your help because the government has failed to provide for a veteran. With Thanksgiving only a month away, we have no other option but to turn to the community for help in order to get him home in time. We still continue our battle with the government but the most important thing to us and to him is for him to spend the rest of his life in the comfort of his own home surrounded by family.

Please help us bring our father of 5, grandfather of 2, loving husband and Vietnam vet home for the holidays. He fought for all of us and now we are fighting for him.

WE LOVE YOU DAD!!!