Be Part of Kevin & Joyce's Hope

Dear extended family & friends,

I’m creating this fundraiser for my brother Kevin and his wife Joyce because their lives have changed dramatically since November 2024.

A week before Thanksgiving, Kevin had elective surgery for acid reflux which went really well, but on day three of recovery, he developed complications. He was placed on a ventilator, and, shortly afterwards, had multiple cardiac arrests. He was revived and has had a long ICU battle since then.

We are so thankful that his kidneys and heart are back to normal. Along the way, he was able to be switched from the ventilator to a tracheostomy ventilator. He is now able to breath on his own for a few hours a day and recently passed a swallow test which means he can have clear liquids- the first “food” since the surgery! He is also sitting up in a chair for a while a few times a week.

Kevin & Joyce have weathered a lot of scary, heart wrenching days and procedures. Perhaps the most unexpected and most difficult experience has been the amputation of his right hand, part of his right foot and all of his left foot due to the deterioration of skin tissue from loss of circulation. This will add an entirely new layer of recovery and rehabilitation on top of recovering from sepsis and such a long hospital stay, which was already a lot.

So, how can you help?

Please pray for Kevin, Joyce and Nolan (Kevin’s son). Please pray as you’d want someone to pray for you if you were going through this.

Kevin has been in the ICU since the Sunday before Thanksgiving 2024. He was able to qualify for temporary disability which provides them with 1/2 their normal income. As you can imagine, they still have their normal bills, including a mortgage, and will have unknown expenses and medical needs ahead. If you can help them on a monthly basis, that would be ideal because this is going to be a long haul. If you can help with a one time gift, thank you so much for that as well.

Thank you,

Ron on behalf of all the Kirkeengs

Note: Our parents, Duane & Ella Mae have struggled with increasing health issues requiring multiple hospital and rehab nursing home stays over the past year. Recently, both of our parents came home on hospice care. We are so thankful hospital angels made sure dad & Kevin were able to see each other before dad began hospice care because on January 18, dad passed away. Please keep our mom in your prayers as she grieves the loss of her husband and being unable to see Kevin in person right now. Thank you.