Donate Today to support Medical Treatment Needs

Please join the Navy SEALs Fund - Brotherhood Beyond Battlefield® in raising funds and support for Navy SEAL Brandon Cruz's Family. 100% of all donations raised will go to the Cruz Family to support medical and essential living needs. (Donations can be made online or mailed to: Navy SEALs Fund, Attn: Cruz Family Support, PO BOX 89, Mason OH 45040)

UPDATE: 5/12/2020

We have exciting news that I will be having my surgery with Dr Bray in a little more than a week! We are so excited to share that the Carrington Charitable Foundation will be donating a private charter flight in order to not pass through the airports. They work with wounded veterans and their families in many ways.

UPDATE: 2/27/2020

We have major updates. Tess is back in Texas recovered from traveling. She wants to thank everyone who helped her this past week. Everyone who prayed for her and texted scripture, and messaged during her travel week. It was a tough trip for her mind and body but she left with hope, a million dollar smile and some answers.

We are a big step closer but not out of the woods just yet. We’re beyond blessed to be working with the absolutely world renown neurological spine surgeon, Dr Robert Bray and his team DISC Sports and Spine Center. Tess will be facing another surgery in the coming weeks; however, she is in stellar hands. We believe this surgery will lead us to the root of her issues. If not, we will continue on in discovery. For privacy reasons we can’t to go into details yet.

A HUGE and overwhelming thank you to Dr Bray and his non-profit foundation, Valor For Life, for taking excellent care of Tess. Continued thanks to @navysealsfund who continue to connect us with people and resources and provide our donations that go straight and solely to us. Thank you @garrettagolden for connecting us to Dr Bray and being obedient to the Lord to help my Angel. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11‬ #godisfaithful #sicknessandinhealth #undiagnosedwarrior #advocateforyourself #spinalhealth #csfleaks #teamneverquit #navysealfund #silentwarriorfoundation #valorforlife #militarywives #faithmovesmountains

The Need:
Brandon and Tessa Cruz, who are middle school sweethearts have been married for 19 years. They have two Teenagers and live Austin Texas. They conquered 10 years of Brandon’s service as a Navy SEAL and have been doing their best to manage the recent medical crisis and family support needs as best they can. However, friends and family are stepping up to help carry the burden that is crushing this amazing family during this time of great need.

It has been 9 1/2 months since Tessa has been suffering CSF leaks and intracranial hypertension following a routine spinal surgery. Within a few days following surgery she began to experience a debilitating headache and a load of other mystery symptoms that haven’t left her for one single day. This has left her unable to take care of herself or her family without assistance.

She has suffered TWO of these suspected CSF leaks, her vocal cord was paralyzed, she was treated with multiple blood patches resulting in more uncommon issues leading to Rebound Intracranial Hypertension.

Tessa’s days and nights have been filled with multiple hospital stays, ER trips, lumbar punctures, trying to find any relief and normalcy. She has been passed from every type of specialist to specialist and their wait lists, medicine trials, full body work ups, CT scans, MRI’s with and without contrast, blind blood patching, alternative therapies, many different supplements, the list goes on forever it seems.

It has been unbearable for Brandon to watch his wife, his best friend be confined like a prisoner trapped inside her pain. Relentless daily constant headache that fluctuates from severe to moderately uncomfortable, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, (Down 27lbs), brain fog, word finding issues, vision changes, pulsatile tinnitus, she can no longer drive or sleep in a normal position, can’t move her body too much so she doesn’t blow her patch, or shoot photography her passion in life, her activity level has to be restricted or her pressure in her head rises too much and the pain is unbearable. Tessa has been opioid and pain meds free this entire journey with the exception of the very unknown beginning as they interfere and sometimes are harmful with her condition!! She is eating for her symptoms like a plant lady BOSS and we could not be more inspired. It gets to be so much work. She will be working with a team of holistic doctors in the following weeks to see if they can help. Stand by for updates.

Tessa has the most beautiful never quit spirit and has led some of the country’s finest families on the home front during war time including her own. She is a fierce woman of faith and now we are all stepping in and taking care of her while she heals.

Her supportive parents have moved in to help take care of her and the kids and Brandon during this season of healing. Thank you to friends who are stepping in locally to lift us up and help support the kiddos with rides and meals especially in the beginning when school started. Wow we couldn’t have done anything without our village. Tessa’s bible study friends are the Salt and Light of our entire community. Ladies you are a complete blessing!! Thank you over and over for helping our Helper.

Brandon and Tessa are asking for prayers and any support beyond that is greatly appreciated.

They are working to get on the lists and meet with CSF specialists at Duke, Stanford, or Cedars Sinai (whoever’s list calls first) for proper diagnosis and additional treatment. These clinics are full of patients just like Tessa who have been waiting much longer because this is such a rare condition with very few specialist.

100% of all donations raised will go to the Cruz Family to support medical and essential living needs during this trying time.

“For better or worse, in sickness and in health”. God has constantly shown us goodness and mercy and the love and support of many during our dark times exiting the Navy. We are completely grateful for His provisions no matter how they come”

“Thank you for sharing our burden to make it lighter and prove us resilient still. Receiving any resources or assistance is an unexpected and total gift to us during such an arduous season of faith. We are deeply humbled and will be forever changed by this rearranging of our so called plans.”

Forever Grateful~

Brandon, Tessa, Daylon, Liv

To learn more about Tessa’s medical battle, please visit: https://spinalcsfleak.org/