James' Medical Fund

On January 10, 2015, James suffered sudden cardiac arrest in the garage of our home. Prior to this James had no medical isssues and no warning signs that there could be a problem. Up until this day we were focused on preparing for the upcoming birth of our first child in May. Police and paramedics responded quickly and an AED was used to restart James'  heart, which thankfully worked. He was taken to the hospital and was placed in an induced hypothermic coma for two days to preserve his brain from the lack of oxygen and to give his heart an opportunity to rest. James awoke on January 12th with no signs of brain damage. James did however obtain pneumonia from having a breathing tube which made it difficult for him to breathe. On January 13th James had surgery to place an internal defibrillator in his chest so we would never experience cardiac arrest again. However, the presence of his pneumonia made it difficult to breathe after surgery and he needed to stay in the hospital for a extra few days .

James was finally released from the hospital on January 16th and returned home. His recovery was slow but his spirits were high and he was looking forward to returning to work as soon as possible.  Unfortunately, on January 21 James began to experience severe pain in the right side of his back and severe shortness of breathe. James was taken to the hospital again and diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung. The doctors believe the blood clot occurred from being bed ridden in the hospital for so long and when he began moving again it traveled from his leg to his lung.

As of today, James is still in the hospital with pain and shortness of breath, and will likely be in the hospital for at least 3-4 days. He is trying to remain positive and hopeful that things will quickly work out. James and I (his wife, Amanda) have both been out of work for two weeks, which has eaten through the PTO we were saving for May when we are expecting our first child. As of now we are both unsure of when we will be able to return to work and the thought of mounting medical bills is beginning to weigh heavy on our minds. 

The amount of support we have received from those in our lives has been truly amazing and heart warming. From family, friends coworkers, doctors, nurses, and many others who have heard our unique circumstance and offered help has proven the good that exists in the world. We are setting up this fund for those who want to do something extra. For those who know James know he is a strong, independent man, but even he wanted to offer an outlet for those who wish to help. Go Fund Me requires a goal amount be set, but we have no expectations of any amount. 

Thank you all for everything you have done!