Stroke leaves young man paralyzed, fighting for his life

A former Eagle Scout who was planning to get married this summer is improving after suffering a stroke two weeks ago, paralyzing him and putting him into a coma, his father said Wednesday.

“He’s improving; his liver is starting to come back and his kidneys. And he’s awake,” Paul Krauska, father of Brandon Krauska, said. “He is bouncing back.”

But the road back will likely be a long one as Brandon’s still on a ventilator and having difficulty sleeping, his father said.

“It’s just taking time,” he said.

Brandon suffered the stroke on March 3 after saying he wasn’t feeling well and complaining of headaches, tiredness and tingling in his fingers.

He was taken to Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Ozaukee Hospital in Mequon, then taken by Flight for Life helicopter to Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee and was immediately put into intensive care, where he has remained.

Doctors put him into a coma and on a ventilator to help stabilize his vital signs and control his breathing and blood pressure.

“His blood pressure was going through the roof,” Paul Krauska said. “They had to slow him down.”

Other problems cropped up, including a puncture in his stomach that brought on an infection. Plus, he developed a bronchial infection.

Brandon was brought out of his induced coma on Sunday but remains on a ventilator.

“They think they got the sepsis under control,” Paul said. “He is bouncing back. It’s just a matter of making continued progress without having another setback. We don’t need another infection right now. The big thing is to get him off that ventilator. He can’t breathe on his own.”

One issue for the family is that only one of them can be with Brandon at any one time due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Family members are taking turns, with Paul, Brandon’s mother and Paul’s wife Pam and Brandon’s fiance Alexis Aspinall alternating days. Brandon is the oldest of three children.

Not only is it difficult to be away from their son, the lack of access makes it difficult to get information, Paul said.

  “One moment you’re there it might be one doctor. The next it might be another doctor. Every day there is a change or a problem. It’s just hard to get information” he said.

Brandon’s left side is still paralyzed, but they don’t know it will be permanent, Paul said.

“The paralysis we’re hoping is temporary,” he said. “He does have some movement in his right side and his facial movements seem fine. We don’t think there was brain damage.”

Doctors have no explanation yet for what might have caused an apparently healthy 28-year-old man to have a stroke.

“We won’t know until they get some tests back,” Paul said. “At this point, they’ve not determined what caused it.”

Brandon announced last year that he and his fiance would marry in August. They recently bought a house in Port Washington.

His situation has generated an outpouring of support from the local community, especially since Paul and Brandon are well-known as owners of Eddie’s Service in Saukville.

A GoFundMe page has so far raised $30,629 and been shared 1,200 times.

Last week, Riverview Inn owner Lisa Burich donated 50% of all food sales and 100% of her homemade bread sales to Brandon.

“The bread sold out in minutes,” she said.

Burich will continue the fundraiser on Wednesdays and Thursdays through the end of March.

“We are so thankful to the community for all the help,” Paul said. 

“Right now we just need prayers to get him through this. We’ve got to get him stable. Prayer is what we really need. We want him home. He’s a good boy.”

The GoFundMe page can be accessed at tinyurl.com/awtnfxs2.