Help Dingbaum Family

I'm starting this page for my daughter and son- in-law Todd and Holly Dingbaum. On May 10th 2014 Todd returned home from a friends at 1a.m. There he found Holly unresponsive sitting on the floor in their room. At first he thought she was meditating, a practice she had used frequently for relief from migraines and systemic lupus erythematosus. He realized he could not wake her and called 911. Holly was airlifted to Iowa City University Hospital. She was subsequently intubated with a diagnosis of respiratory failure and hypercapnia. Holly remained ICU for 3 weeks under heavy sedation enduring multiple tests. After a lumbar puncture it was found Holly had intracranial hypertension. She contracted hospital induced pneumonia, septicemia, and delirium. She was accidentally extubated once which delayed progress. When Holly was stable enough to extubate properly the procedure failed and an emergency tracheostomy was performed. She then spent a week on the respiratory floor weaning from ventilator and tube feeding, working with physical therapy to regain strength. She continued to have respiratory problems and neurological symptoms after returning home and the family has made many trips to Iowa city the last two months for emergency's and the many appointments with neurology, otolaryngology, rhuematology, internal medicine, and immunology. Included in complications was an allergic reaction to medication resulting in anaphylactic shock. Todd has had to miss work frequently to manage many of these appointments, hospitalizations, and care that Holly required when she first came home. She needs surgery at the end of August (requiring special mouth guards which are not covered by insurance) to remove large amount of granulation tissue and survey vocal cords with hopes of repair. At this time her airway is not patent as her vocal cords are not opening and it is unclear whether repair is possible. When it rains it pours. On one of the many trips back to the ER in Ia city, our area was hit with storms and flooding. Their sub pump stopped working and the basement was chest deep when Todd got home. They lost their hot water heater and furnace due to the damage. Like many of our neighbors this is not covered by their insurance. Todd and Holly have three great kids who have really stepped up to support their parents. I am asking for prayers, positive thoughts for this wonderful family and any donations to help with current and future costs. Getting to the many appointments and looking ahead to an uncertain outcome, not to mention great financial burden, is daunting. Even the smallest contribution would be greatly appreciated at this time. A special thanks to everyone who has been there for the whole family during this difficult time!