Employees fundraise after business owner's wife receives rare diagnosis
HOLLAND — A local manufacturing company has succeeded in raising thousands of dollars for medical research after the owner's wife received an unexpected, rare diagnosis.
Business owner and president Kevin Reeves at GP Reeves, an industrial equipment supplier, was shocked in March 2021 when his otherwise healthy wife — 39-year-old Karla Reeves — was rushed to the hospital with severe stroke-like symptoms: dizziness, loss of voice, and loss of the ability to swallow.
Neurologists were convinced she had a tumor or multiple sclerosis.
"They decided to do a brain biopsy which involved collecting tissue from her brain stem," Reeves wrote in a statement. "This area of the brain is known to be very high risk. It controls subconscious functions of the body such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, face/neck muscles and eyesight."
The family was warned, if a tumor was found, it would be terminal. But the biopsy itself caused a second stroke, leading to numbness and loss of muscle control on the right side of Karla's face and the left side of her body. She also stopped breathing on her own, and was hooked up to a ventilator for three days.
"We were bracing for the worst as we waited for the results of the biopsy," Reeves wrote. "The test results slowly came in and revealed that it was not a tumor, it was not MS — it was CNS vasculitis."
The disease, though rare and serious, came as a relief. CNS vasculitis is characterized by inflamed blood vessel walls in the brain and spine. The condition can't be cured, but is treatable with regular monitoring.
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"It was the best news we could have hoped for," Reeves wrote.
Karla is still recovering, over a year later, struggling to re-learn what the stroke took away. Upcoming surgeries will correct issues with her eyesight and facial paralysis.
"Life will never be the same for us," Reeves wrote. "But we want to help improve awareness of this disease and support research that will prevent others from going through this tragedy."
That's where employees at GP Reeves came in.
"It was scary for Kevin and their children," said marketing lead Christine Melvin. "It was scary for our entire team. We're a smaller company, and you get to know everyone. Karla worked in the office until this happened. My coworkers and I had been exploring ways we could give back to the community as a company, and this landed in our laps. We knew it was what we needed to do."
Employees have been collecting donations since last spring, including during the company's 50th anniversary celebration.
"This is the first time we've ever done any kind of companywide fundraising, so we weren't sure what to expect," Melvin said. "We set a goal of $2,000, and I think we're somewhere between $6,000 and $7,000 now. And we're pushing for more."
CNS vasculitis is diagnosed in less than three people per million annually, Melvin said.
"No one in our company is probably ever even going to know anyone else with this disease."
Through its fundraiser, the company has partnered with the University of Michigan's Stroke Division to advance research of CNS. The company will host members from the division next week for speeches and a check presentation.
"I am both thankful and proud of the GP Reeves team for the support of this cause and of my family through this challenging time," Reeves wrote.
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— Contact reporter Cassandra Lybrink at cassandra.lybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Instagram @BizHolland.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Employees fundraise after business owner's wife receives rare diagnosis
