Stranded cancer survivor desperately searches for medical supplies in wake of Helene

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Stephen Bracciale left his home Friday morning and walked the streets of his hurricane-ravaged Pass-a-Grille neighborhood in St. Pete Beach, Florida, in search of a place to charge his phone and iPad.

Bracciale, a 71-year-old diabetic who has survived bladder cancer, left his wife of nearly 50 years, their cats and dogs, and the medical supplies that he relies on at home, thinking he would return shortly. He was mistaken.

A neighbor offered to take him for a drive, saying he could charge his phone in the car. Bracciale gratefully agreed, knowing finding electricity elsewhere on the barrier island would be tricky.

But after crossing a bridge with his neighbor, Bracciale’s blood sugar spiked dangerously high. He was rushed to a hospital emergency room and then discharged to the care of his son, Brandon Bracciale, who lives inland.

A day later, the roads to return to St. Pete Beach are closed, and Stephen Bracciale hasn’t been able to go home to the insulin that he needs to manage his diabetes and the pouches that he requires after his bladder cancer. In the meantime, the father and son have been desperately searching for places that sell them.

“We’ve been running all around Tampa trying to find these supplies to make sure he’s OK for the next few days,” Brandon Bracciale said in a Zoom interview from his car, seated next to his dad.

Back at the house, Stephen Bracciale’s 72-year-old wife, Debra, is stranded, too — with no running water. The couple’s car is submerged in floodwaters, Stephen Bracciale said, so driving to any place that sells water isn’t an option.

“As of yet, we haven’t seen any emergency vehicles that are carrying water to people that have stayed on the island, but hopefully that’ll come very shortly,” he said.

Despite everything he’s been through, Bracciale said he’s in good spirits.

“I’m feeling fine,” he said. “Just a little frustrated that I’ve had to run around and find the medical equipment that I need.”

Marissa Parra reported from Clearwater, Florida. Elizabeth Chuck reported from New York.