Manny Baez Medical/Family Expenses
Donation protected
Seven years ago our father, husband, and friend Manuel Baez Sr (“Big Manny”) was diagnosed with a very rare disease called sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that affects multiple organs in the body, but mostly the lungs and lymph glands. In people with sarcoidosis, abnormal massed called granulomas consisting of inflamed tissues form in the certain organs of the body. These granulomas alter the normal structure and function of the affected organs.
Big Manny’s sarcoidosis was controlled for several years with steroids and everything seems fine. Then two months ago, Manny (age 48) came down with pneumonia. In true “Big Manny” fashion, he never complained and didn’t want to take off work and kept putting his 100% into everything. The doctors put him on antibiotics to fight off the pneumonia and continued his steroids for the sarcoidosis. One week before Thanksgiving, Manny went back to the doctor because he was not getting better. They gave him a MRI and discovered a mass on his lungs. They scheduled a biopsy and told him he would find out the results the day before Thanksgiving. The results came back that the masses were granulomas from the sarcoidosis, and cancer was ruled out. Of course, everyone was relieved when they heard the “non-cancerous” results. The family gathered for Thanksgiving, and gave thanks for the results. Manny was so relieved and expressed his love for us all as we did the same to him.
Then on Dec 12th as we gathered again as a family for his mother-in-laws 73rd birthday, Manny was not looking or feeling well as we sat down to dinner. That night, he announced to the family, that his company that he worked for 10 years was sold, and he had the opportunity to buy into a route once he bought a truck to be able to deliver his chips. He was both nervous and excited at the same time. If anyone knew Manny, his personality was infectious and he was the kindest man you could ever meet so we reassured him, he would have no issue continuing to make a living delivering chips. After dinner, his wife informed us she had to take him to the ER because he was not feeling well. He was immediately admitted to the ICU and put on an aggressive round of antibiotics to fight the pneumonia. Where the family thought this would be a few day treatment, Manny’s condition deterioted. They scheduled another biopsy on Dec 15th to try to understand why he could not fight the infection in his lungs. After the biopsy, Manny received daily oxygen treatments. Approximately one week after the biopsy, Manny formed blood clots in his lungs. He continued to fight to breathe on his own, but he was unable to keep his oxygen levels up. On Christmas night, the doctors informed his wife that they need to sedate him to put a tube down his esophagus to pump oxygen directly into his lungs and allow his body to rest and try to heal to fight the infection. Two days after being sedated, we were told that he was “toxic”. He developed a staph infection and PCP pneumonia. It was a vicious cycle his body was fighting. The steroids for the sarcoidosis was the type that chemo patients received and weakened the immune system which was interfering with the fighting off of the infections.
On Tuesday December 29th, Manny went into cardiac arrest. The medical staff was able to revive him and put him on a machine to help his heart pump, and they lowered his body temp to slow his heart rate. But then we were told that his kidneys were impacted, and that he needed to be put on dialysis to help filter the blood to fight the infections. He seemed to be stabilizing and on the right track when on Wednesday December 30th, the doctors told his wife and kids that he was not responding to things he should be (no gag reflexes when changing the tube down his throat and his pupils not dilating). They scheduled and EEG for Thursday Dec 31st. It was announced to a waiting room of family and friends on Dec 31st around 11:00 am that there was no brain activity and that this was probably a result of the cardiac arrest. His wife and kids then spoke to the medical team about organ donation as anyone knows that Manny would want to help someone else. After several tests throughout the day, it was determined that his lungs, kidney, liver could not be used due to the impact of the sarcoidosis. He was mourned a second time knowing that is something he would have wanted to do and a part of him would live on.
At 11:30 pm on Dec 31st, Manny was taken off all machines. Surrounded by family and friends, he was allowed to rest and be placed in God’s hands. After his passing, his daughter told us that he talked to her about religion and worried that his wife was losing faith and did not want that to happen. He also discussed with his wife insurance and his job transition before they sedated him on Christmas night. His family feels he knew he was sicker than he wanted us to know and he wanted to meet his Maker before his insurance ran out on Jan 1st or that his severance pay was used to buy a truck on a route he would never be able to start. He was already worried over the expenses of his multiple ER visits, tests, biopsies, three week hospital stay in the ICU, EEG, MRIs, dialysis, etc. Although he had insurance, his wife is left to pay 20% of all the costs. Big Manny was a PROUD man and would never ask for help (especially financial), but he leaves behind a wife that was dependent on his income. She is now faced with rebuilding her life without the man she has been with for 31 years (since she was 15 years old), but faced with medical and funeral expenses. The life insurance he did have will help with everyday living expenses for a while, but I am asking for support through this Go Fund Me Page to help with the medical bills that are already coming in the mail, but as well, the funeral expenses. Big Manny will be greatly missed, his smile lit up a room, and he never had a negative word to say about anyone. The thing he worried about the most was his wife, and I promised him at his bed side that he had our Blessing to go and rest and that we would take care of his family. Any amount would help and let Big Manny rest easy knowing he doesn’t have to worry anymore
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Big Manny’s sarcoidosis was controlled for several years with steroids and everything seems fine. Then two months ago, Manny (age 48) came down with pneumonia. In true “Big Manny” fashion, he never complained and didn’t want to take off work and kept putting his 100% into everything. The doctors put him on antibiotics to fight off the pneumonia and continued his steroids for the sarcoidosis. One week before Thanksgiving, Manny went back to the doctor because he was not getting better. They gave him a MRI and discovered a mass on his lungs. They scheduled a biopsy and told him he would find out the results the day before Thanksgiving. The results came back that the masses were granulomas from the sarcoidosis, and cancer was ruled out. Of course, everyone was relieved when they heard the “non-cancerous” results. The family gathered for Thanksgiving, and gave thanks for the results. Manny was so relieved and expressed his love for us all as we did the same to him.
Then on Dec 12th as we gathered again as a family for his mother-in-laws 73rd birthday, Manny was not looking or feeling well as we sat down to dinner. That night, he announced to the family, that his company that he worked for 10 years was sold, and he had the opportunity to buy into a route once he bought a truck to be able to deliver his chips. He was both nervous and excited at the same time. If anyone knew Manny, his personality was infectious and he was the kindest man you could ever meet so we reassured him, he would have no issue continuing to make a living delivering chips. After dinner, his wife informed us she had to take him to the ER because he was not feeling well. He was immediately admitted to the ICU and put on an aggressive round of antibiotics to fight the pneumonia. Where the family thought this would be a few day treatment, Manny’s condition deterioted. They scheduled another biopsy on Dec 15th to try to understand why he could not fight the infection in his lungs. After the biopsy, Manny received daily oxygen treatments. Approximately one week after the biopsy, Manny formed blood clots in his lungs. He continued to fight to breathe on his own, but he was unable to keep his oxygen levels up. On Christmas night, the doctors informed his wife that they need to sedate him to put a tube down his esophagus to pump oxygen directly into his lungs and allow his body to rest and try to heal to fight the infection. Two days after being sedated, we were told that he was “toxic”. He developed a staph infection and PCP pneumonia. It was a vicious cycle his body was fighting. The steroids for the sarcoidosis was the type that chemo patients received and weakened the immune system which was interfering with the fighting off of the infections.
On Tuesday December 29th, Manny went into cardiac arrest. The medical staff was able to revive him and put him on a machine to help his heart pump, and they lowered his body temp to slow his heart rate. But then we were told that his kidneys were impacted, and that he needed to be put on dialysis to help filter the blood to fight the infections. He seemed to be stabilizing and on the right track when on Wednesday December 30th, the doctors told his wife and kids that he was not responding to things he should be (no gag reflexes when changing the tube down his throat and his pupils not dilating). They scheduled and EEG for Thursday Dec 31st. It was announced to a waiting room of family and friends on Dec 31st around 11:00 am that there was no brain activity and that this was probably a result of the cardiac arrest. His wife and kids then spoke to the medical team about organ donation as anyone knows that Manny would want to help someone else. After several tests throughout the day, it was determined that his lungs, kidney, liver could not be used due to the impact of the sarcoidosis. He was mourned a second time knowing that is something he would have wanted to do and a part of him would live on.
At 11:30 pm on Dec 31st, Manny was taken off all machines. Surrounded by family and friends, he was allowed to rest and be placed in God’s hands. After his passing, his daughter told us that he talked to her about religion and worried that his wife was losing faith and did not want that to happen. He also discussed with his wife insurance and his job transition before they sedated him on Christmas night. His family feels he knew he was sicker than he wanted us to know and he wanted to meet his Maker before his insurance ran out on Jan 1st or that his severance pay was used to buy a truck on a route he would never be able to start. He was already worried over the expenses of his multiple ER visits, tests, biopsies, three week hospital stay in the ICU, EEG, MRIs, dialysis, etc. Although he had insurance, his wife is left to pay 20% of all the costs. Big Manny was a PROUD man and would never ask for help (especially financial), but he leaves behind a wife that was dependent on his income. She is now faced with rebuilding her life without the man she has been with for 31 years (since she was 15 years old), but faced with medical and funeral expenses. The life insurance he did have will help with everyday living expenses for a while, but I am asking for support through this Go Fund Me Page to help with the medical bills that are already coming in the mail, but as well, the funeral expenses. Big Manny will be greatly missed, his smile lit up a room, and he never had a negative word to say about anyone. The thing he worried about the most was his wife, and I promised him at his bed side that he had our Blessing to go and rest and that we would take care of his family. Any amount would help and let Big Manny rest easy knowing he doesn’t have to worry anymore
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Organizer
Kami Goodwell
Organizer
Williamsport, PA