Mike Sneddens Medical Fund

This person in this photo is Michael.  Michael Snedden.  AKA: Mikey Likey to Ride His Bikey.  He hates that name.  But I call him that anyway.  Mike is in trouble.  One week ago, Mike was a 26-year-old, young, vibrant, hilarious and loving person who lived each day with the hope that at the end of it, he would sleep with a smile and leave as many people as possible doing the same.  He is a twin, a son, a brother, and an incredible person in every way.  He is a person who I am privileged to call a friend and someone I love.  As of Friday, April 15th, however, things changed for Mike.  He and his twin have polycystic kidney disease, a malady that causes fluid cysts to form on his kidneys.  This is a hereditary disease and his father suffers from it, as well.  Many do not know all the functions of the kidneys, and I won’t bore you with a lecture, but one problem that people with kidney issues have is high blood pressure.  High blood pressure can leave a person at risk for a bleed inside their brain.  This very thing happened to Mikey this week.  His cranial artery ruptured, causing a bleed into his brain.  Mike had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital where he was sedated, intubated (a breathing tube placed), and had emergency brain surgery to fix the bleed.  He is currently at Ohio State Medical Center in the neurological ICU.  His situation is less than ideal, to say the least. 

My name is Dan.  I am writing this on behalf of my friend and his family.  I count myself lucky to be a friend of Mike, his twin Matt, their older brother Dave, and Mike’s parents Scott and Tammy.  I work as a pediatric intensive care nurse at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.  This information about me may seem pointless, but I include it because I know first-hand the strife, hard ship, and toll that being in the ICU with a life-threatening condition entails.  Getting Mike stabilized, his seizures controlled, and his brain bleed stopped was the first step.  He remains unconscious, sedated, and we are all now waiting, hoping, and praying that he wakes up with as much of himself intact as possible.  However, there is a dark shadow that looms on Mikey and his family that is not so obvious. It is the financial burden placed on him and his family.  The surgery, ICU stay, and care required to keep Mike alive is outrageously expensive.  Mike is a hard-working man and his family much the same.  But this unexpected tragedy places them in a precarious situation outside what they should have to worry about. 

Paying to keep someone from dying is an awful reality of the world we live in.  When (and I fervently BELIEVE WHEN) Mike wakes up and starts his life again, he will be monetarily devastated. As he is potentially learning to walk or talk again, the bills will rise. 

His family will struggle to keep up.  Mike will struggle to keep up.  His brothers will take time off and help, too.  So will his friends.  I am asking you, strangers, to find it in your hearts to help, too.  A dollar, a 5, a 10, a 20.  Think of how easily we tip at a restaurant when someone fills your drink up every 20 minutes.  I am asking you to give Mike and his family a tip.  Help him and his family by allowing them to worry about keeping Mike alive.  Getting Mike back to being Mike.  He’s 26.  He should have his whole life ahead of him.  And he can.  Most of it is on Mike – getting better, learning, fighting.  But we can help.  YOU CAN HELP.  I promise you this:  If you ever have the fortune to meet Mike or his family, you will count yourself lucky.  He is a wonderful human being, one of the good ones.  One of the best.  And he and his family don’t deserve this.  But it’s happened.  And now we can help.  Help Mikey get back on his Bikey.  Thank you and God bless you.