Ernie; Medical and Family Support

We have updated the Go Fund Me as Ernie begins a long recovery.   This has been a roller coaster of ups and downs and will be a long road of recovery for Ernie, Lisa and the kids.  Lisa and Ernie are both self employed,
and as a result will not be able to work or have short term disability during his recovery time. Lisa is currently living in Boston during this time with the kids back in Vermont to finish up school.   We thank all of you for your continued support of Ernie, Lisa, Ethan and Isabel.
Much love,
Michael and Kelly

Please see their story below:

As many of you know, over the past month Ernie has been sick with what we thought was persistent bronchitis or pneumonia. When antibiotics didn't work and fatigue began to set in, we began to worry a bit more. Isabel kept saying, "You know, dad doesn't like it when he's not productive," which is a very true and telling statement. 

On Monday, 5/20, Ernie was seen by his primary care provider. Monday night he went to the ER at CVMC because his blood work indicated he might have a pulmonary embolism. It became pretty clear in the ER that it wasn't a blood clot, but that he was in heart failure and had fluid build up in his lungs. He was transferred to the ICU at CVMC where he spent the night. On Tuesday, his condition deteriorated and there was a decision to transfer him to the UVM Medical Center ICU for increased cardiac support. After the most terrifying night of my life, with many crisis situations, he managed to pull through. He finished the night with a pump in his heart (impella pump), an airtube, and with multiple organs in a failing state. Dena and Megan were my rocks that night and got me through it all. Ernie had such bravery and determination. 

Wednesday was a day of ups and downs. The decision was made to transfer him to a cardiac unit with a transplant center. Tufts, Mass General and Montefiore were all options. We went through a process that involved initially being told that there were no beds available and that there would be at least a day wait for a transfer. We are so incredibly fortunate that Ernie's cousin Melissa was able to contact a friend who is a doctor and had worked at Mass General. She reached out to her contacts and within 30 minutes we learned that he had been accepted for transfer to Mass General pending verification of his insurance. The next two hours were excruciating for me, while I waited to find out if Mass General would be able to accept our BCBS insurance. When I find myself beginning to get angry, I keep channeling all my rage into this crazy health care system we have where a patient who is critically ill might not receive appropriate care based on their insurance plan. Infuriating. 

At about 10:00 on Wednesday night Ernie was airlifted by helicopter to Boston. He is currently in the Cardiac ICU at Mass General Hospital. He is in a critical state, but responding really well to treatment. His heart pump is providing adequate blood flow now, he is sedated, intubated, and on dialysis while we wait for his kidneys to perk back up. The kidney doctor is cautiously optimistic that with time they can regain function. They have been able to lower some of the other medications and eliminate a few as well, as he continues to stabilize. When we first arrived we thought a transplant was imminent, but we are now being told to just keep this thought in the back of our heads, so that is a step in the right direction. 

Right now, they believe he has Viral Cardiomyopathy. My understanding is that his heart was infected by a virus and became enlarged, which decreased it's ability to pump blood. They aren't able to pin point exactly what virus and have also tested for Lyme Disease and are interested in exploring underlying genetic components. 
I can't express how much I appreciate everyone reaching out. The kids are doing miraculously well, which is largely due to our kick ass families. Within 48 hours we had a big giant web of friends and family wrapped around us. We are all surviving. I was told today to expect that Ernie will be here a minimum of 3 weeks. So, hug our kiddos if you see them as they are eager to get back to school next week and if everything continues in a positive direction will continue to travel back and forth for the next month. Please send love and positive energy Ernie's way. He is a fighter and has such strength and grit, and I can tell he's working hard to get through to the other side of all of this. We all love him so much!