Helping the Martinez Family

Created & Written with love by his daughters:

 

On July 22, 2021, Our dad, Dennis, was admitted to a hospital in Texas with Covid symptoms. We all thought he might just need some help with oxygen while Covid passed through him. Unbeknownst to us was the effect that Covid would have on his body as a diabetic.

On August 7th. after experiencing difficulty breathing for a few nights, he was moved to the ICU and was placed on a ventilator, fully sedated and on a paralytic.

On August 9th, our mom received a 5:30 am phone call saying that the doctors advised us to fly down and say our goodbyes; they weren’t sure he would make it. Our family is spread out in a few states. The oldest sister, Nicole, living in Oregon; the middle sister, Amy, living in California; and the youngest sister, Telena, living in Texas near our parents. We hopped on a plane with our families as quickly as possible while fearing the worst- Having to say goodbye to our dad.

When we arrived to the ICU, we all gowned up, along with our mom, Joan, and went in to be near our dad. He looked peaceful. We believe that having all his girls near him gave him strength and purpose to fight on. He stayed stable and sedated for the rest of the week, resting comfortably, but Covid was still damaging his lungs.

On Friday August 13th, early in the morning, we received another dreaded call to come say our goodbyes. Our mom went in to be by his side, and again, the power of love helped him push through to continue fighting. More and more friends, family, and people whom we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet, were praying fervently for healing over our dad.

August 18th was the day that the doctors said it was time to take him off of the paralytic. His stats had shown improvement as we all continued pouring out prayers for his healing. We were nervous to take him off of the paralytic, but we knew this would be a step in the right direction towards bringing him home.

Over the weekend, he wasn’t making any progress, and he wasn’t getting any worse. We waited and prayed for healing over his lungs that were fighting so hard. We flew back to our homes in California and Oregon, even though our hearts remained in Texas with our dad, mom, and family.

Monday, August 23rd, our mom and Telena were asked to come down to discuss treatment options with his doctor. His doctors advised us that his kidneys were now showing signs of distress and we needed to consider dialysis.

Hours later, we again received a phone call to come down to say our goodbyes. His blood pressure was dropping rapidly and his lungs weren’t releasing enough CO2. Our mom and youngest sister were with him for a little while, and he stabilized.

The power of L O V E, and prayer, are real!

We received a phone call from the doctor the next morning saying that he couldn’t believe my dad had made it through the night! But, all of us who have been praying, sending good vibes, and thoughts knew the real reason why he was still here with us. They started him on dialysis on August 24th, and he has been fighting to stay stable since.

Tomorrow, August 26, 2021, will be our dads 61st birthday. We are praying and holding on to the hope of a miracle each and every day. The doctors have given him a 1 out of 10 chance of survival, but we believe in miracles and we’re not giving up hope!

Everyday, our family has anxiously waited for phone call updates, sat outside of his hospital, and prayed for healing. Everyday, we’re so grateful you all have been right there beside us- praying too.

 

We have set up this GoFundMe to help our parents prepare for both types of outcomes they’re about to face.

We’re believing and praying on our knees for God to heal our dads lungs so he may come home. We know he will have a long road to recovery ahead of him if he can pull through. He will most likely go to a rehabilitation center with oxygen assistance and possibly dialysis. He will need extensive therapy to help him regain strength and lung function. There is a possibility that his physical stamina will be affected and he might need a few devices or modifications to help with the adjustment.

We have never known anyone who was more excited to meet Jesus than our dad. We all have multiple memories during our childhood of our dad expressing how much he couldn’t wait to go to Heaven! He is the definition of having “child-like faith”.

In the event that his body has fought as hard as he could, and the Lord calls him home, these funds will help with the medical bills. Our dad always did everything possible to provide solely for our family, so that our mom could stay home with us and raise their daughters. They are the greatest team and have always complemented each other so well. With my dad being the only source of income, this will help during the adjustment period (although we’re praying it doesn’t come to this).

 

Our dad, Dennis, is the best husband to our mom, father to us three, and Papa to his four grandchildren: Liam 10, Harper 7, Kinsley 5, Kove 2, and his grandoggers; Poshy 13, and Zoey 12.

He takes such great care, and pride, in each of those roles. He loves his family and adores his wife, our mom, Joan. We want to thank each and every one of you for your help during this devastatingly difficult time. Each gift of love, prayer, calls, texts, and generosity is cherished and never viewed as too small.

 

Thank you for being our prayer warriors.

With Gratitude and love,

 

Nicole, Amy, and Telena