Luis Rojas's Medical Fund
Donation protected
On the evening of Labor Day, Luis fell asleep on the couch after a BBQ with his family. Imelda, Luis's wife, went to lay down with her youngest son, Santiago, who was starting kindergarten in the morning. She fell asleep there and was soon awoken by a crash in the house. She thought maybe Luis had rolled over and fallen off of the couch and went to check on him. When she didn't find him in the living room, she turned on the lights to the stairs, thinking he might have went down to use the bathroom. At the bottom of the stairs she saw Luis laying in a pool of blood. When she reached him at the bottom of the stairs, she saw Luis had a huge open gash on the back of his head and blood pouring out of his ear. Apparently, he had slipped or tripped on the stairs and fallen to the hardwood floors (laid over concrete) below. Imelda called 911 and Luis was taken to Harborview Medical Center in an ambulance, where he was put on a respirator.
The next 3-4 days were harrowing for the entire family. Luis had fractured a bone in his ear, split open the back of his head and broken a tailbone. There were many tests to monitor whether he was leaking brain fluid, monitoring his blood levels, etc. Imelda and Luis' brother Julio stayed watch at the hospital 24 hours a day with Luis. The doctors managed to get Luis off of the respirator, and breathing on his own but he had very few lucent waking moments. The rest of the family split time at the hospital helping to support Imelda and caring for their three children, Santiago, 5, Cesar, 9, and David, 15.
For everyone - family and friends - it was extremely difficult to see Luis in such a vulnerable and near vegetative state. He is so physically fit (he wears a fitbit and keeps track of his fitness levels regularly. One of the numbers indicating his good health include a resting heart rate of 49). At work, where he had recently begun a new job as a foreman for a construction company building sound and structural walls as well as underground utilities, he was known as the man with almost unmanly energy and an unfaltering work ethic. His dilligence, intelligence, industry knowledge and depth of experience that defied his relatively young age of 33, had made him a much sought after foreman in the industry.
As the days moved into weeks, there began to be visible improvements. Luis was having longer moments of lucidness. He slowly began to remember names of siblings and his children, but what didn't return for nearly three weeks was his short term memory. Every time he woke up, Imelda had to tell him where he was and what had happened to him. Even things that had happened a few minutes previously, he forgot. Imelda stayed with him at the hospital the entire time he was there, hoping to be a constant and calming presence for him in what must have been a frustrating and confusing state of reality.
The doctors are optimistic about his complete recovery. They have been nothing short of impressed by his body's ability to heal. He spent nearly a week in an intensive inpatient therapy program at the University of Washington hospital. Last weekend he finally was able to return home. It has still been a very tough transition, though. He will need to continue with therapy. While his memory has begun to recover, he is still not fully himself. He still has not been cleared to drive or work, which is frustrating and stressful.
As the family tries to recover from this freak accident, they now must also face the pending stress of mounting bills. Luis was the sole income earner in their family, as Imelda stayed home with the children. And while Luis has a good Union job, it does not provide medical or sick leave. Like most families I know, their savings was small and cannot cover months of unemployment. Luis and Imelda are both private and independant people, but in this circumstance they understand the well being of their family may depend on the kindness of others as they try to get Luis back to 100%.
Many people I have spoken to have asked how they can help. We have created this GoFundMe account as a place where Imelda and Luis can receive monetary assistance. Anything, no matter how small, will help and we thank you ahead of time for your kindness.
The next 3-4 days were harrowing for the entire family. Luis had fractured a bone in his ear, split open the back of his head and broken a tailbone. There were many tests to monitor whether he was leaking brain fluid, monitoring his blood levels, etc. Imelda and Luis' brother Julio stayed watch at the hospital 24 hours a day with Luis. The doctors managed to get Luis off of the respirator, and breathing on his own but he had very few lucent waking moments. The rest of the family split time at the hospital helping to support Imelda and caring for their three children, Santiago, 5, Cesar, 9, and David, 15.
For everyone - family and friends - it was extremely difficult to see Luis in such a vulnerable and near vegetative state. He is so physically fit (he wears a fitbit and keeps track of his fitness levels regularly. One of the numbers indicating his good health include a resting heart rate of 49). At work, where he had recently begun a new job as a foreman for a construction company building sound and structural walls as well as underground utilities, he was known as the man with almost unmanly energy and an unfaltering work ethic. His dilligence, intelligence, industry knowledge and depth of experience that defied his relatively young age of 33, had made him a much sought after foreman in the industry.
As the days moved into weeks, there began to be visible improvements. Luis was having longer moments of lucidness. He slowly began to remember names of siblings and his children, but what didn't return for nearly three weeks was his short term memory. Every time he woke up, Imelda had to tell him where he was and what had happened to him. Even things that had happened a few minutes previously, he forgot. Imelda stayed with him at the hospital the entire time he was there, hoping to be a constant and calming presence for him in what must have been a frustrating and confusing state of reality.
The doctors are optimistic about his complete recovery. They have been nothing short of impressed by his body's ability to heal. He spent nearly a week in an intensive inpatient therapy program at the University of Washington hospital. Last weekend he finally was able to return home. It has still been a very tough transition, though. He will need to continue with therapy. While his memory has begun to recover, he is still not fully himself. He still has not been cleared to drive or work, which is frustrating and stressful.
As the family tries to recover from this freak accident, they now must also face the pending stress of mounting bills. Luis was the sole income earner in their family, as Imelda stayed home with the children. And while Luis has a good Union job, it does not provide medical or sick leave. Like most families I know, their savings was small and cannot cover months of unemployment. Luis and Imelda are both private and independant people, but in this circumstance they understand the well being of their family may depend on the kindness of others as they try to get Luis back to 100%.
Many people I have spoken to have asked how they can help. We have created this GoFundMe account as a place where Imelda and Luis can receive monetary assistance. Anything, no matter how small, will help and we thank you ahead of time for your kindness.
Organizer and beneficiary
Justine Rojas
Organizer
Auburn, WA
Imelda Rojas
Beneficiary