Help David and Marinne with Medical Bills

Hi guys! Beth here. Some magical couples were meant for each other, and Dave and Marinne are one of them. These two have been together since we were literally young punks. I have always been in awe of their love, beautiful family, and humor and kindness through so many ups and downs. They've recently hit one of those rough patches, and they could use our help.

In the middle of the night in the first week of September, David woke up with a toothache. He went to the dentist that day, started some antibiotics, and scheduled an appointment with an oral surgeon two days later. The night before his oral surgeon appointment, David’s face and neck were extremely swollen, and he was in the worst pain of his life. The oral surgeon took a look at him and sent him straight to the ER because his airway was at risk from the swelling. He was immediately admitted to the ICU. That was the starting point of a 23-day stay, 12 of them in the ICU, eight on a ventilator, fighting for his life. The abscess near the infected tooth had spread to his blood, and he was septic. Because of the swelling in his airway, he had to be intubated until the infection, and the swelling, were under control, and he could be weaned off the sedatives. Because of the ventilator and David’s anxiety, every time they tried to wean him off the sedatives and he became aware of the breathing tube, he’d panic and they’d have to sedate him again. It was a terrifying situation, one made worse by an allergic reaction to one of the very strong antibiotics he was being given. There were many scary moments, so many fevers, so many medications, so many procedures. We didn’t know if he was going to make it. Once the reaction to the antibiotics was discovered, David made a pretty miraculous recovery. Medications were reduced, and he was taken off the ventilator and switched to a trach, which made him much more comfortable and less anxious and he improved daily. The doctors originally planned to send him straight to an inpatient rehabilitation center for 4-6 weeks to get his meds managed, build up his strength, and continue recovery with medical supervision. Because he made such an amazing recovery in his last week at the hospital, they decided he wasn’t sick enough to warrant that inpatient level of care, so he came home. After all the trauma to his body and his brain from this hospital stay and David’s existing anxiety, he was struggling mentally and physically. Fortunately, David doesn’t remember his time in the ICU, which is a huge blessing.

He was at home for a few weeks and initially seemed to be improving, but then started going downhill. He felt awful, physically and mentally, and nothing was helping. He saw his doctors several times and eventually decided to go to an inpatient facility, separate from the hospital, where he could get the treatments and therapy his brain needed to bounce back. He’s there currently and is already doing much better than he was at home, which is a huge relief for everyone. He has medical care and therapy, and they’re starting TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) treatments, which will hopefully help his brain recover. David just wants to feel better, and Marinne, the kids, the dogs, his friends and his family just want him back and healthy.

David hasn’t been able to work since the first part of September. He is an incredibly hard worker under normal conditions and the primary breadwinner for the family. Marinne has been working full time while also visiting David in the hospital, taking care of David at home, taking care of the kids and trying to keep their lives as normal as possible, handling the dogs, the fat cat, and the snake. It’s been a lot. The medical bills for the hospital and all the providers are insane and just started coming in. Most will be covered by insurance through Marinne’s job, thankfully, but the inpatient center he’s in now is expensive and requires an additional deductible and charges for the treatments he and Marinne believe will change his life. Marinne sold her car to get the deductible handled, but she does not earn enough from her job to keep things going while David isn’t working.

David will be out of work until sometime in January. With Christmas just around the corner, this wonderful family could use help covering medical bills to retain some sense of normalcy through the holiday. Every little bit helps:)