Dauras Dargis and family need support

Our parents were at the tail end of a two week trip to Lithuania when on a Wednesday morning we got a message from our mom (Asta) that our dad (Dauras) had to be rushed to the hospital. After sometime, he was diagnosed with an aortic dissection and immediately put into operation to repair it. This is a severe open aorta surgery where a graft is put in place of the defective portion of the aorta and an stent connects to the healthy portion. This is a very major surgery with many unknowns, patience is difficult trying to live day to day. The first day waiting for the call of his survival was beyond painful. I keep looking back at the messages before being told they were at the hospital thinking how long that was ago, but it was mere days.

Everyday we learn slowly as to what is happening from my mom who visits him during a short visitation period at the Kaunas Cardiology Clinic. As of 1/25/25 he is still entubed and on ventilators in a medically induced coma. The doctors are starting to wain him off, but there are growing concerns of his brain function and none of this will be clear until he is out of the coma and off ventilators. You can only try to muster some positivity but it is difficult.

My sister (Paule) has flown out already in flurry after not sleeping one night to be with my mom. She has visited him, read to him, seen movement under his eyelids to her voice. But optimism wavers based on doctor’s words of suspected stroke and brain damage.

My dad is an interesting man, a great knowledge, confidence, and humor that he loved to share. Many might have had him as a teacher at Šv. Kazimero Lituanistinė mokykla (St. Casimir Lithuanian school in Los Feliz). He might’ve taught you with pride and depth as to what it means to be Lithuanian and our history. He's known to always extend his kindness to many of his friends. But most of all he is our father and it’s so hard for us to be in this sudden position overnight.

My mom has been stuck in Lithuania indefinitely worried about income and how to stay afloat in a country where they don’t have insurance. Even with post operative success, recovery before coming back to LA might be two months at a minimum.

If anyone has questions please feel free to reach out to any of us. But a common answer we give is “I don’t know”, living day to day has been excruciating.