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Hello, My name is Aaron, I am 33 years old and my family really needs your help. On September 5 an unthinkable tragedy hit my family. I was in town staying at my parents house and I was woken up by the sound of my mom screaming “Dad is dead!” I immediately popped up in my bed and ran into my parents room and found my Dad lying on the bed with his eyes wide open, pale white and not breathing, you cannot imagine the horrible feelings that can arise in you until you are standing over your dads motionless body with your mother screaming horrifically while trying to dial 911 on her cell phone.
I then immediately started performing CPR on my Dad while my mom had the paramedics on the way. Seconds seemed like hours. It seemed like forever for help to arrive. Thinking back to that moment, it was extremely hard to even think to perform CPR let alone on a loved one but I thought to do the only thing I could until help arrived. After officers and paramedics arrived my mother and I went downstairs both of us in tears holding each other, while the paramedics were upstairs trying to revive my dad. My mom did her best to explain what led up to the event and when she had found him like that. They seemed relieved to find out that she was with him when it happened so that meant there wasn’t a lot of lost time.
It seemed like forever waiting for one of them to come down to tell us whether or not my dad was alive. All I could think about was holding my mom and praying that he was going to be ok. My mom and dad have been married for 44 years and I couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind at that moment, thinking that she may have lost her life long love. During this time one of the officers brought me my cell phone and I called my brother to tell him what happened and he was immediately on his way over. As police were walking through my parents house offering their support one of paramedics came down the steps and said they had a pulse. Both my mom and I looked at each other and started hugging in relief, it felt as if the weight of the world was lifted off of our shoulders at that moment.
We waited, clinging to the good news that came after such a bad event as the paramedics brought my dad downstairs and put him in the ambulance to be taken to the ER. My brother arrived right after that and we got into a vehicle and immediately went to the ER behind the ambulance. My dad was immediately rushed in for tests to determine what had happened. My sister then met us there and we all waited together as a family and prayed for good news. Finally a doctor came out from the ER and we went into a small consultation room and told us the bad news.
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My Dad went into Severe Cardiac Arrest. His heart had completely stopped due to 99% blockage in the left ventricle. He explained that there was an extremely low chance of cardiac arrest victims to even make into the ER and he did so my dad had already beaten those odds which doesn’t surprise me because he is the toughest person I’ve ever known. The doctor said he would definitely need heart surgery but he also explained the next major concern of cardiac arrest after reviving the heart was damage to the brain due to lack of oxygen which they determined was a possibility so they then put him on any necessary meds to help, then sedated him, put him in a drug induced coma and started a hypothermic cooling procedure, which they use if they feel there was significant oxygen loss to the brain, to bring his body temp down which would help reduce additional damage and help healing and then after a slow cooling process they would re warm his body and reduce sedatives to wake him up.
This was to be done over a couple days time. They did the procedure and after which they proceeded with test after test and my family, always being very close, stayed in the ICU waiting room night after night praying, staying positive, and supporting each other while waiting for results. After the cooling and warming procedure the doctors began to show signs that they were losing hope and everyday after my family and I dreaded the daily meetings with the ICU Doctor, Neurologist, and the Cardiologist. The EEG results came back with significant brain damage and the doctors said there isn’t much hope but he wasn’t brain dead. My entire family knows my dads wishes and they were no matter what to keep him alive and we will honor that by any means. My dad still hasn’t opened his eyes and the neurologist said that the small movements we see from him now is just the brain stem still running basic bodily functions however there still is some brain spike and somewhat seizure activity going on. He is not brain dead so there is a lot of hope. Day after day my family and I have maintained hope no matter what the doctors say and he has improved slightly because he now doesn’t need a respirator to breathe and my family has noticed slightly more movement in areas of his body that didn’t have any earlier.
My family will not give up hope. The doctors where we are have done well but his needs are now beyond that of what this hospital can give. My dad is an amazing person that has always made people’s lives better and has worked so hard his entire life to provide for his loved ones, keep people happy, and he would also give his last cent if he knew it would help someone. My dad is the definition of selfless. For more than 40 years he worked as furniture mover/ owner operator for United Van Lines and at 60 years old he was still carrying refrigerators and couches like he was 20 years old. He had a work ethic seldom seen by man and I will not let the man that has helped so many in his life lay here not get the help that he now needs. He always made people smile and laugh and now he can’t even talk.
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He never stopped working to help others and now my father is basically in a vegetative state and most of the Rehab facilities that will have the best chance to help him and get him the treatment he needs, do not accept his Medicare insurance, or only do for a short time so we need all of the help we can get because the bills will be extremely expensive (More than $2000 per day) and some even require out of pocket payment up front and I can’t allow my dad to lie there without proper medical and rehab treatment because of money. Nobody should have to lie there like that because of some green paper, although its sad that many do. My mom, sister, brother, and I are willing to put forth everything we have to give my dad the best possible chance at recovery. My mom may have to move with my dad more than 15 hours away from their home, other family members, and even their grandkids, to the rehab facility. Being as close as we are as a family, that is going to be tough but necessary. Thankfully I have a job that allows me to make my own schedule and work from a computer so I will be moving into my parents house to try to pay for bills and take care of the house and pets for my parents while my mom stays at my dads side and in between taking care of things I plan to be by my dad as much as I can but I also cannot let what my parents built fall apart and wilt away because of an unexpected horrible tragedy. It’s the least I can do because of what they did for me plus I love my family so much that I would do this for any one of them in a split second without hesitation just like they would for me.
Back in December of 2013 I was in a severe car accident that resulted in a broken neck (c6 c7 vertebrae), severe head trauma, and other severe injuries which required surgery, titanium, a lot of rehab and more than 5 months sleeping upright in an adjustable bed, the doctors said I may never fully recover. During my recovery I could not work at all and my mom and dad were there for me every step of the way and even moved me into their house to make my recovery easier. 2 years and I have fully recovered with just a couple scars and some slight neck and shoulder pain left. Without what my parents did for me I would’ve never had the opportunity to be able to recover like I did. I still am however paying that bill because insurance, which only covered so much. My family has never asked for donations or help before and they still don’t know that I am starting this funding campaign or they wouldn’t want me to. It can’t hurt, right? My dad has always made everything on his own and always supported his family. If he was awake he wouldn’t want me to be asking others for help but I know the bills can quickly become overwhelming and I am asking for help from others.
My family has always stuck by each other through everything and that wont change and my family has always been big on helping other people but now we need your help. I am single and do not have children yet but I have a brother and sister both are married with kids yet all 3 of us, and my mother are completely changing our lives, to help my dad any way we can because he would do everything in his power to help us. My dad once paid for the funeral of a underprivileged man he met twice, he was the guy that paid for strangers meals in a restaurant and left without them even knowing he did it. He wouldn’t look for praise, he just enjoyed seeing other people happy and if he could help someone who was down then he would without hesitation. He would surprise people with random acts of kindness. He is never selfish. That’s how he is. Please help us to get him the care and rehab that he truly needs. I have created this to help raise money for my Dad’s care and to help my mother during this time. If any of you would like more info please contact me. I have If you can help with any donation, big or small, thank you from the bottom of our hearts and if you can’t I completely understand and please keep us in your prayers and thank you for taking the time to read this. Donations and Prayers always welcomed. Thank you all so much for helping my family during this time. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and will never, ever, be forgotten.
Please don’t hesitate if you have any questions or concerns and I will gladly answer them.
Thanks for your help.
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