Benefit for Brenbarger family set Sunday in Naplate

The Brenbarger family is hosting a benefit at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at the Naplate Community Center, 2005 Center St., to help pay medical and monthly bills after Steve Brenbarger was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome as a result of COVID-19.

Steve’s wife, Amy, said he started to have issues after feeling numbness in his hands and feet that led his walking to become unbalanced.

“He recovered from COVID and went back to work in January and by the end of that week is when the tingly-ness and the numbness started,” Amy said. “Two days later, he thought something else was up but then it started spreading up his arms and legs. It scared him enough and I’m glad it did because I finally got to take him to the ER.”

Guillain-Barre Syndrome is a rare disorder that causes the body’s immune system to attack its nerves, and it causes weakness and tingling in the arms and legs before spreading elsewhere.

Amy said while Steve has recovered, he’s still having trouble with facial expressions since the nerves in his face aren’t fully recovered.

“We knew we were going to be transferred by ambulance to Peoria but there weren’t any beds available so we were in the ER for 35 hours waiting to be transferred to an ICU in Peoria.”

Steve was finally transferred to Peoria on Jan. 17, where they put him on a feeding tube. Steve spent 24 days in Peoria before being transferred to Rush Copley in Aurora for inpatient therapy for nine days before finally returning come home.

He was off work for six weeks, which required him to exhaust his sick and vacation days and short-term and long-term disability weren’t available.

Admission to the benefit will cost $10 and includes a chicken dinner. There also will be raffles, baskets, more food and a 50/50 drawing, along with beer and soda sales.