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HEROES IN NEED PLEASE HELP!
This is a story of resilient heroes who have dedicated themselves individually and as a couple to help others and are now in need of your help! This is Brian and Dana's Story. They met in 1995 were married in 2002.
Brian has been a volunteer firefighter for 33 years, joining his local Fire Department at the age of 18. Serving his community, Brian has climbed through the ranks of officer positions, becoming Lieutenant in 1998 to Assistant Chief and was elected to Chief of the Fire Department in 2007 and 2008. On Sept 11, 2001, Brian and members of his Fire Department volunteered to rush to assist their brothers in NYC to man a fire station while the FDNY answered the call of duty at the twin towers.
Since 2003, Dana has dedicated 18 years working in the mental health profession providing mental health services to individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness and addiction. She put herself through college to advance her education and career obtaining her master’s degree and licensing for social work in 2014 and currently works as a mental health clinician.
In October of 1999, a year before they were married, Brian was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor at just 30 years old. He underwent a craniotomy to remove the tumor and underwent six weeks of radiation therapy.
As time went on, Brian’s cancer seemed to be gone for good and since there was no tumor recurrence in 10 years, he was given a clean bill of health and released from his doctor’s care. In 2012, three years later, 13 years from his first surgery, Brian began to feel ill and was diagnosed in October with another malignant brain tumor. Another craniotomy to remove the tumor was scheduled almost immediately; Brian worked and volunteered up to the day before his second surgery. The removal was successful, and Brian returned to work after three weeks. He was treated with radiation and underwent nine months of chemotherapy. Upon completion, he was once again cleared of cancer.
On December 26, 2017, Brian had a follow up MRI which showed there was a recurrence for the third time! In April 2018, Brian had another successful craniotomy to remove the tumor and was discharged three days later. The plan for him was to receive chemotherapy. However, that would soon be delayed due to Brian developing complications after discharge. The operation site would not heal, and he was required to be hospitalized for over 3 weeks. He then suffered secondary complications including the development of clots in his legs and his lungs which almost cost him his life! Through the course of the remainder of 2018, Brian endured three more procedures/surgeries resulting in repeated hospitalizations. Finally, in Oct 2018 his final surgery corrected the issues, and the wound began to heal. He was able to begin chemotherapy treatment in January 2019 for 6 months. Midway through his chemotherapy treatment, Brian returned to work full time and in July he was informed since there was no recurrence, they would discontinue chemotherapy. In January 2020, Brian had a 6-month MRI which was clean of any tumor growth. However, that was short lived as they were about to face another life-threatening challenge, this time with Dana.
In the beginning of February, she had been feeling run down for about a week and on February 4th, 2020, she began to have difficulty breathing. Under the direction of her doctor, Dana was brought to the emergency room and upon arriving to the ER, she collapsed struggling to breathe. She was immediately admitted. By early the next morning, it was determined Dana had double pneumonia and was now in for the fight of her life as her O2 levels continued to drop. Within 12 hours, she was being intubated and put into a medically induced coma. Her levels were not improving and were at dangerous levels. The Doctor’s did not know if she would survive the night. Desperate to save her life, the Doctors ordered a special bed to rotate her body to improve her O2 levels while searching for an ECMO team. She was in septic shock and her body was starting to shut down. Brian was advised her survival was less than 30%. A mobile ECMO team from NY Columbia Presbyterian hospital was contacted. They arrived within an hour arrived. After performing the ECMO procedure, she was stabilized for transport, she was transported to NYP were she remained in a medically induced coma on ECMO for eight days. Finally, she was wakened, however she had to remaining in the MICU for another 2 weeks. Once released, she would then continue to recover at home.
Not knowing what caused her to become so gravely ill, a few months later, after watching and learning about the COVID-19 pandemic, her Doctor presumed that Dana in fact experienced the worse-case scenario of COVID-19 and survived. (only 5% of the population survive at this level)!
Unfortunately, due to extremely limited information about COVID-19 in the beginning of February, testing was not conducted due to limited availability and a specific criterion that Dana did not meet. Since she was not confirmed to have had COVID-19, she is not eligible to receive any assistance under the COVID-19 CARES Act. Ironically, this happened as the seriousness of Covid-19 was not being taken seriously if at all. There was no functioning test for Covid-19 at that time. The CDC’s test was proven not to be reliable at best.
As if the year was not bad enough for them, Brian went in for his six-month follow up at the end of September 2020. They were told another tumor has developed; however, this time surgery is not an option as removing the tumor would be a great risk for Brian. He will be receiving chemotherapy for an undetermined amount of time. He is also immunocompromised in conjunction with the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. Brian has been forced to take a leave of absence from work causing a financial burden. Unfortunately, without many options left to him, Brian has lost the independent functioning of one side of his body. He faces greater challenges with a more cumbersome chemotherapy regimen including multiple medical visits, exorbitant medical expenses, equipment expenses, a bathroom renovation to install a wheelchair accessible shower, an exterior wheelchair ramp due to stairs, and all the complexities that come with a fourth recurrence. Along with this, Dana still struggles with aftereffects of having COVID-19 and is considered a “long hauler”. Dana is dealing with her own physical issues. This makes it near impossible to care for Brian on her own. Dana has taken a leave of absence to be Brian’s care giver during this exceedingly difficult time.
It is not in Dana nor Brian’s nature to ask for help. Family and friends have stopped by with dinner and household items and are contributing whenever possible. Brian and Dana have been “givers” their entire adult lives...he as a firefighter and she as a mental health professional.
Now they need your help! Due to financial burdens, we are asking for your help in donating what you can to help them. All donations are appreciated. All monetary donations will go directly to Brian’s care for medical expenses, equipment, modifications around the home for accessibility and basics like household bills and food. We thank you in advance for your donations.
This is a story of resilient heroes who have dedicated themselves individually and as a couple to help others and are now in need of your help! This is Brian and Dana's Story. They met in 1995 were married in 2002.
Brian has been a volunteer firefighter for 33 years, joining his local Fire Department at the age of 18. Serving his community, Brian has climbed through the ranks of officer positions, becoming Lieutenant in 1998 to Assistant Chief and was elected to Chief of the Fire Department in 2007 and 2008. On Sept 11, 2001, Brian and members of his Fire Department volunteered to rush to assist their brothers in NYC to man a fire station while the FDNY answered the call of duty at the twin towers.
Since 2003, Dana has dedicated 18 years working in the mental health profession providing mental health services to individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness and addiction. She put herself through college to advance her education and career obtaining her master’s degree and licensing for social work in 2014 and currently works as a mental health clinician.
In October of 1999, a year before they were married, Brian was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor at just 30 years old. He underwent a craniotomy to remove the tumor and underwent six weeks of radiation therapy.
As time went on, Brian’s cancer seemed to be gone for good and since there was no tumor recurrence in 10 years, he was given a clean bill of health and released from his doctor’s care. In 2012, three years later, 13 years from his first surgery, Brian began to feel ill and was diagnosed in October with another malignant brain tumor. Another craniotomy to remove the tumor was scheduled almost immediately; Brian worked and volunteered up to the day before his second surgery. The removal was successful, and Brian returned to work after three weeks. He was treated with radiation and underwent nine months of chemotherapy. Upon completion, he was once again cleared of cancer.
On December 26, 2017, Brian had a follow up MRI which showed there was a recurrence for the third time! In April 2018, Brian had another successful craniotomy to remove the tumor and was discharged three days later. The plan for him was to receive chemotherapy. However, that would soon be delayed due to Brian developing complications after discharge. The operation site would not heal, and he was required to be hospitalized for over 3 weeks. He then suffered secondary complications including the development of clots in his legs and his lungs which almost cost him his life! Through the course of the remainder of 2018, Brian endured three more procedures/surgeries resulting in repeated hospitalizations. Finally, in Oct 2018 his final surgery corrected the issues, and the wound began to heal. He was able to begin chemotherapy treatment in January 2019 for 6 months. Midway through his chemotherapy treatment, Brian returned to work full time and in July he was informed since there was no recurrence, they would discontinue chemotherapy. In January 2020, Brian had a 6-month MRI which was clean of any tumor growth. However, that was short lived as they were about to face another life-threatening challenge, this time with Dana.
In the beginning of February, she had been feeling run down for about a week and on February 4th, 2020, she began to have difficulty breathing. Under the direction of her doctor, Dana was brought to the emergency room and upon arriving to the ER, she collapsed struggling to breathe. She was immediately admitted. By early the next morning, it was determined Dana had double pneumonia and was now in for the fight of her life as her O2 levels continued to drop. Within 12 hours, she was being intubated and put into a medically induced coma. Her levels were not improving and were at dangerous levels. The Doctor’s did not know if she would survive the night. Desperate to save her life, the Doctors ordered a special bed to rotate her body to improve her O2 levels while searching for an ECMO team. She was in septic shock and her body was starting to shut down. Brian was advised her survival was less than 30%. A mobile ECMO team from NY Columbia Presbyterian hospital was contacted. They arrived within an hour arrived. After performing the ECMO procedure, she was stabilized for transport, she was transported to NYP were she remained in a medically induced coma on ECMO for eight days. Finally, she was wakened, however she had to remaining in the MICU for another 2 weeks. Once released, she would then continue to recover at home.
Not knowing what caused her to become so gravely ill, a few months later, after watching and learning about the COVID-19 pandemic, her Doctor presumed that Dana in fact experienced the worse-case scenario of COVID-19 and survived. (only 5% of the population survive at this level)!
Unfortunately, due to extremely limited information about COVID-19 in the beginning of February, testing was not conducted due to limited availability and a specific criterion that Dana did not meet. Since she was not confirmed to have had COVID-19, she is not eligible to receive any assistance under the COVID-19 CARES Act. Ironically, this happened as the seriousness of Covid-19 was not being taken seriously if at all. There was no functioning test for Covid-19 at that time. The CDC’s test was proven not to be reliable at best.
As if the year was not bad enough for them, Brian went in for his six-month follow up at the end of September 2020. They were told another tumor has developed; however, this time surgery is not an option as removing the tumor would be a great risk for Brian. He will be receiving chemotherapy for an undetermined amount of time. He is also immunocompromised in conjunction with the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. Brian has been forced to take a leave of absence from work causing a financial burden. Unfortunately, without many options left to him, Brian has lost the independent functioning of one side of his body. He faces greater challenges with a more cumbersome chemotherapy regimen including multiple medical visits, exorbitant medical expenses, equipment expenses, a bathroom renovation to install a wheelchair accessible shower, an exterior wheelchair ramp due to stairs, and all the complexities that come with a fourth recurrence. Along with this, Dana still struggles with aftereffects of having COVID-19 and is considered a “long hauler”. Dana is dealing with her own physical issues. This makes it near impossible to care for Brian on her own. Dana has taken a leave of absence to be Brian’s care giver during this exceedingly difficult time.
It is not in Dana nor Brian’s nature to ask for help. Family and friends have stopped by with dinner and household items and are contributing whenever possible. Brian and Dana have been “givers” their entire adult lives...he as a firefighter and she as a mental health professional.
Now they need your help! Due to financial burdens, we are asking for your help in donating what you can to help them. All donations are appreciated. All monetary donations will go directly to Brian’s care for medical expenses, equipment, modifications around the home for accessibility and basics like household bills and food. We thank you in advance for your donations.
Co-organizers (3)
Philip Maconi
Organizer
Morganville, NJ
Dana Bush
Beneficiary
Melissa Maconi
Co-organizer
Janice Sutherland
Co-organizer