Jose Carmona & Family in Dire Need

Friends and Family,

 

It is with great sadness and continued disbelief that we are urgently asking for your help. In late January 2022, Jose Carmona became infected with Covid-19. Although he was symptom free at the time, in February 2022, he began to find it harder and harder to breathe. Jose’s wife, Meagan (Valtin) Carmona had a terrible feeling this could be “Long Haulers” symptoms from the virus. And since Jose also has an underlying auto immune disease, Lupus, she knew they needed to see a doctor immediately.

 

Jose had been taken to the Buffalo General Hospital ER, where they ran a series of tests and found Covid pneumonia had infected his lungs, he had bilateral pneumothorax (occurs when air leaks into the space between the lungs and chest wall), and Crepitus (a condition in which air is trapped under the skin, creating a crackling when air is pushed through the soft tissue in the chest). Jose was admitted to the hospital for a couple days, treated and sent home to get better. Unfortunately, Jose did not get better and ended up back in the hospital a second time in mid March with a pulmonary embolism. Jose was again sent home, this time with an oxygen tank to rest and heal at home.

 

Things looked like they were going in the right direction, until a week before Easter when the Crepitus had returned. Meagan was very aware what this could mean, she acted fast, and with the help and guidance of her sister, Dr. Lauren (Valtin) Steinmetz, they got Jose back to the hospital on Easter Sunday. After they arrived at the hospital they found out the pulmonary embolisms had returned with vengeance.

 

Jose was once again admitted to the hospital and after days of being in the hospital, Jose was finally transferred to the ICU and put on 45 liters of oxygen. However, even with this heavy flow of oxygen, Jose’s pulse ox levels remained dangerously low.

 

On Saturday, April 30, Meagan woke up to a phone call from the hospital that they needed to intubate Jose, place a tube in his left lung and place him on drugs that would heavily sedate and paralyze him so his body could rest. Meagan rushed to the hospital to kiss her husband and tell him she loved him one last time.

 

Thirty-six hours later there was little progress and by Sunday night the doctors had to then place a tube into his right lung to relieve pressure, in hopes to help raise his oxygen levels, get him to a point of stability and talk next steps.

 

The doctors efforts at this point had made him stable enough and raised his pulse ox into the 80’s, however, at the young age of 38, this father of six needs a Bilateral Lung Transplant in order to survive this horrible ordeal.

 

While waiting for a bed at the Cleveland Clinic, where he will be transferred via Mercy Flight, Buffalo General has transferred Jose to Strong Memorial Hospital where he will undergo extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a procedure where blood is pumped outside of your body to a heart-lung machine that removes carbon dioxide and sends oxygen-filled blood back to tissues in the body.

 

It goes without saying that this has caused a great deal of financial burden on the Carmona family. Jose has been out of work since February and Meagan has used up all of her PTO at work and has filed for FMLA so she can be with her husband while he fights for his life. With both of them out of work, their family could use all the help they can get to help with finances to feed their children, pay their monthly bills and any medical expenses not covered by insurance.

 

Please consider helping this beautiful family, wonderful father and husband.

 

Thank you for helping our friend and brother,

 

Lauren & Brian Steinmetz

Danielle & Erik Hacic

And the entire Carmona Family

 

**Please note: In addition to the gofundme, we will be holding a benefit over the summer, information and dates will be sent out when finalized.