This is my nephew, Creighton.  He is 30 years old and fighting for his life.

Creighton is an outdoorsman, very fit and healthy.  Until –

He came down with a virus of some kind, which progressed to double pneumonia.  When he was unable to fight the virus off by himself, his mom took him to Olean General Hospital in Olean, New York.  There, it was discovered that the virus had also attacked his heart, and he was airlifted to Buffalo General Hospital in Buffalo, New York for more specialized cardiac care.

At Buffalo General, he was admitted directly to the ICU for 24/7 monitoring and care.  Four days later, he went into cardic arrest and was clinically dead for 4 minutes, but medical staff was eventually able to resuscitate him.  He was put on a ventilator and placed into a medically induced coma.  He was then taken into emergency surgery for insertion of a heart pump, after which the decision was made to transfer him to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York for even more specialized cardiac care.

I don’t want to go into all the gruesome details, but let it suffice to say that Creighton and his family have been going through absolute hell.  Calls for prayers went out and received a tremendous response from relatives, friends, friends of friends, and even strangers who just happened to see the social media posts.

And apparently the prayers worked.  Creighton is now conscious, able to vocalize, and has even managed to contact a few of his friends.  The heart pump has been removed, and he is fighting his way back to health.  He is still very weak, has some cognitive deficits (which may clear up in time), but he is expected to eventually gain nearly full health.

As everyone who follows me knows, I am one of the most non-religious persons on the face of the earth, but in times of extreme stress I pray just like everyone else.

And we are all still praying for Creighton’s continued improvement. We welcome additional prayers from any of my readers who are so inclined.

Creighton is still in the ICU and will be in the hospital for some time.  Medical personnel are still struggling to remove fluid from his heart and lungs, and Creighton lost a good deal of blood during removal of the heart pump.  Every day continues to be a physical and emotional roller coaster ride for Creighton and his family, but each day there is a little more hope.  Once he eventually is released, he will likely need extensive care at home.  He will be unable to return to work for a long time.

As you can imagine, even with health insurance, the medical bills will be astronomical, likely in the neighborhood of $1M US just for the medical expenses.  Beyond the medical costs, there are expenses for family members who have stayed in Rochester in order to be with Creighton throughout his illness.  (Like  his mom, who has refused to leave his side, and his dad and sisters who continually travel back and forth between home and Rochester.)  At this point, there’s no way to estimate what the long-term costs will be once Creighton is home, but they’re likely to be more than anyone in the family can manage.

Therefore, a GoFundMe has been set up to help defray some of Creighton’s current and future expenses.  If anyone is able, and willing, to donate, the link is:

https://gofund.me/20ca1a1f

Every penny will be greatly appreciated and will go a long way towards comforting Creighton and his family.  No one should have to worry about finances while dealing with a seriously ill family member, but unfortunately that’s too often the case these days.

Even if you are unable to donate financially, please give Creighton and his family your prayers and well wishes.  I’ve come to believe that all those positive vibes do somehow make a difference.

Hugs, all.

__________

I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Twitter page (@cordeliasmom), or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
__________
Images ty Tia and used with the family’s permission