Do you know dog saliva can kill? Donate to Kenny's recovery.

We are raising money for medical bills on behalf of our dear friends Kenny & Ruth, who despite their recent life-changing struggles, are still remaining remarkably positive.

On September 26th, 2024, Kenny felt suddenly unwell, so he went to the emergency room. It took the doctors several days to work out what was wrong, and during this time they induced Kenny into a coma because otherwise he would have died due to his failing vitals. Kenny remained in a coma for almost a month; however, during this time, an immunologist was able to diagnose that he had contracted a rare bacteria called Capnocytophaga. Capnocytophaga is a bacteria that lives in some mammals' saliva (including dogs and cats). Kenny and Ruth had recently adopted a puppy, and it is thought that the puppy licked a small wound on Kenny's leg while he was gardening several days prior to being admitted to the hospital. Kenny was more susceptible to this bacteria because his spleen was removed as a 12-year-old when he injured himself playing with his friends. All this time, Kenny has lived a normal life and had no idea that having no spleen left him susceptible to this deadly bacterium found in dogs' and cats' saliva (Kenny has owned dogs and cats his entire life).

Kenny fought for his life while in the coma, and during this time, his body worked to sustain his vital organs and brain. When Kenny woke up from his coma, he learned not only did he have to give up his beloved puppy, which was the cause of his illness, but he was also going to lose all four of his limbs, which had lost blood supply during his prolonged period in a coma.

Kenny had his two legs amputated just below his knees, he had one arm amputated above his hand and had about half of his other hand removed; however, thankfully, he was able to keep a few finger nubs, which is enabling him to still have some functionality and independence.

Kenny is currently in an assisted living facility, waiting for his stumps to heal enough to be able to put his weight on his new prosthetics (artificial legs). He 'walked' for the first time this week using his prosthetic legs; however, he still has a long way to go in learning how to walk and regaining strength to be able to be mobile once again.

While Kenny was in the hospital fighting for his life and learning he was going to lose all four limbs, Kenny's wife, Ruth, started feeling unwell. Ruth attributed her unwell feeling to the severe stress that she was going through with her husband almost dying and then becoming a severely disabled quadruple amputee. After a while, Ruth went to see her doctor, and she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Ruth is currently undergoing chemotherapy in preparation for surgery. Given that Ruth is immunocompromised due to her chemo treatment, she has not been able to visit her husband in his care facility for over a month during his rehab.

Kenny's insurance has stopped covering his care facility, which costs $550 per day; however, Kenny is not yet able to walk with his prosthetics to be in a position to return to his home. His medical team estimates that he requires another 2-6 weeks of wound healing, strength building, and PT to be in a position to be adequately mobile to return to his house.

Furthermore, Kenny's home is not currently equipped for a disability. Just getting to the front door involves walking up a significant flight of stairs. Given this, much expense needs to be spent on installing an electronic lift and on making additions to their home to make it accessible to Kenny.

We are seeking to raise funds to contribute towards:

Kenny and Ruth are not the type of people who would launch a GoFundMe page themselves, therefore we truly hope that you will help us help our dear friends during this very difficult time, while they soldier on stoically, without any complaints.

Please feel free to share this GoFundMe page via your social network and with your friend groups.

With much gratitude,

Cherie & Gina