Battling Covid-19
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Scott Yasgoor and I’m raising funds for my dear friend of over 35 years, Joe Tomasello. By the sheer numbers of Covid-19 patients right now in the United States, we were told that eventually, we would all know somebody struck with the virus. Well, it happened to me six weeks ago. My business partner, tennis playing buddy and for the last three years, my wing-man and assistant coach for Westlake High School Boy’s & Girls Varsity and Junior Varsity Tennis, Joe contracted Covid-19.
Joe has been hospitalized at Cedars Sinai for six weeks, forced to fight for his life while trying to defeat this virus. When he took a turn for the worse over two weeks ago, the decision was made to put him on a ventilator as his lungs were simply too compromised to allow him to breathe on his own. While being on the ventilator and combined with an experimental steroid offered at Cedars, Joe was able to be weened off the ventilator after only four days but continued to recuperate in ICU for over ten days while receiving oxygen 24 hours a day. Removal of the ventilator tubing, however, caused paralysis to Joe's vocal chords so as of now, he is not able to speak.
In the last week, Joe has finally begun to turn the corner as his reliance on the oxygen machine has been lowered while his lungs begin heel.
Unfortunately, as a result of the virus and Joe essentially being bed ridden the last six weeks, his body has atrophied but fortunately, he is to the point now where he has a therapist working with him twice a day in his bed to get his arms and legs moving again.
The road back to recovery for Joe is going to be a long, expensive trek. While he is hoping to finally leave the hospital next week, his new normal will consist of needing oxygen tanks on a regular basis, full time nursing and physical therapy as well an array of expensive medicines and most likely speech therapy.
I realize these are extraordinarily tough times for many families but Joe would be incredibly appreciative for anything you can donate, $100, $50, $20, $10, $5, $1 or even simply pass this page around to other people you might know via your own facebook timeline. Know that your efforts would be incredibly generous and very much appreciated.
We all send our love out to Joe, we miss him, we need him back!!
Organizer
Scott Yasgoor
Organizer
Moorpark, CA
