Donate to Robert Hourcade's Recovery

Hi, my beloved partner, Robert Hourcade, needs your financial help, prayers and support today to breathe on his own and come home.

Robert is that guy who lives life with gratitude and gusto. He is loyal, loving and a generous friend to everyone. And then an unexplained illness happened that changed our lives—suddenly Robert was suddenly unable to exhale, swallow or speak on his own, and he was even placed in a medical coma for 3 weeks. A month ago the doctors were not sure what our future held, but Robert is strong and brave, and he is making HUGE progress. We need your help to get Robert the medical support and therapy he needs to breathe on his own without a ventilator, eat and speak in a new way, and come home to the partner of 16 years, 3 dogs, friends and family that love him.

Here is his story.

In September 2022, Robert was admitted to the hospital with breathing problems. After countless scans, blood work and other tests, a definitive diagnosis could not be reached. The doctors scratched their heads and sent him home on oxygen awaiting further tests.

Then in mid-October, he was readmitted through the ER, suddenly unable to exhale enough CO2. This caused extreme difficulty breathing, mental confusion, muscle twitching, arrhythmias, hyperventilation, seizures, panic attacks, and syncopal episodes. For 10 days they placed him on a BiPap machine and continued testing, testing testing, and even calling the Mayo Clinic for assistance.

Again, they sent him home, only for him to be rushed back to the ER on November 9th with even more severe symptoms. His diaphragm has been greatly impacted and both of his lungs collapsed. Robert was intubated that night and placed in a medically induced coma for 3 weeks.

What we now know is that a neuromuscular virus was likely the culprit. He now has a tracheostomy (a surgical hole through the front of the neck and into the windpipe).

In mid-December, Robert was moved to a critical care hospital at which he has been receiving respiratory, physical, occupational and speech therapy. They didn't know if he would ever speak again, but as you can hear in his video message, miracles are happening!

As his loving partner, I have been by Robert’s side every day. There have been countless sleepless nights, tears and hard days, including the end-of-life discussion we had with Robert's caring medical team. And there have been moments of joy, (more tears) and hope, including watching Robert begin to eat by mouth again and speaking using a tracheostomy speaking valve.

Getting Robert home will take time, but with your help, IT WILL HAPPEN. Now they are beginning to wean him from the ventilator but is a very slow process. His diaphragm has only seen slight improvement and the long-term prognosis is unknown although his progress is unexpected and impressive.

We now face a long road to getting Robert well and back home with our 3 pups. We are asking for support via donations and prayers. Medical bills have already been skyrocketing and insurance roadblocks are becoming par for the course. Robert will need to learn how to breathe on his own again and at least for the foreseeable future require round-the-clock care. Something of a mixed blessing, I have been unemployed since summer which has allowed me to be Robert's medical “super-advocate” as well as emotional support. Robert has been heroic in his efforts to comfort me from his hospital bed and ensure that I'm also taking care of myself while attempting to return to steady work.

When a loved one is sick, we can feel helpless. Many of you have wondered what you could do to support Robert and me. By donating you can help reduce one critical burden—the financial hardship as insurance doesn't cover everything he needs. Your donation will be used to support Robert's hospital stay, missing income, and transition to home life with a tracheostomy.

Robert is that guy who is loyal, loving, fun, outgoing, and generous with friends and strangers. He supports causes close to his heart and gets involved in the community. He is an amazing partner and my best friend. For 16 years we've spent weekends hiking and volunteering at the humane society and local food banks. We know with continued love, prayers, and support from their friends and medical team, Robert will make a full recovery and get back to giving THE BEST hugs to the pups, Lucca, Barry, and Riley. Your prayers, stories, and notes are being read and played for Robert. Thank you all.

Robert & Steven and...

Lucca, Barry, and Riley.