Fundraiser for Kirk's Recovery

Kirk has made a lot of progress since his accident in May and we've been blessed to have the support of the Case Colina Foundation in funding the latest leg of his rehabilitation program.

He has been a fighter throughout this journey, and we're trying our best to bolster our resources so we can support him in making a full recovery.

Anything you can help donate will make a difference. Our insurance pushed us out of coverage in late September, and we are unsure until when the Foundation will extend their generosity for our dearest Kirky. Without our insurance and the Foundation, the cost of Kirk's rehabilitation program is $60,000 a month.

Thank you all so much for your support through his recovery process, it means a lot and is going a long way.

If you have any interest in visiting Kirk and our family at Casa Colina, visiting hours are 3-9pm on Weekdays, and 12-9pm on weekends. Just reach out to any one of us (Jenny / Ronnie / Kevin) if you'd like to coordinate a visit.

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As background for those that may not be familiar, below is detail on Kirk's journey to date:

On May 6th, Kirk was admitted to Sutter Delta Hospital in Antioch for Cardiopulmonary Arrest, unconscious, and in a Coma after an accidental drowning incident. On May 11, 2022, he was transferred to Sutter Sacramento Medical Center to be admitted to their Neuro ICU. On May 14th, 2022, the care team diagnosed Kirk with Myoclonus Status Epilepticus, and advised us that a consideration of Withdrawal of Life Support may be the best option for Kirk, given the high mortality rate associated with Myoclonus Status Epilepticus. We chose not to go down this route, and proceed with Life Sustaining Therapies (in this case, dialysis).

On May 20, 2022, 14 days after Kirk’s incident, he came out of Coma, when he was not expected to. On May 25, 5 days after coming out of coma, Kirk’s Attending Neurologist requested the family’s consent to submit Kirk’s case for publication to the American Academy of Neurology for Publication in the AAN Journal.

From May 20 to June 6 (time of discharge from Sutter Sacramento), Kirk made meaningful following coma. We were able to take him off mechanically assisted ventilation. We were able to ween him off his dialysis regimen. Physiologically: he was able to open his eyes, and respond purposefully to vocal commands. He was showing awareness, able to blink his eyes once for yes, and two for no, when asked questions. He showed limited physiological function at this point, not yet able to move his arms and legs.

At the time of discharge from Sutter Sacramento on June 6th, Kirk’s Care team modified his diagnosis to Lance Adams Syndrome. This is an important modification in Kirk’s prognosis, because Lance Adams Syndrome has a significantly lower mortality rate than Myoclonus Status Epilepticus, and is a rare neurological condition, with only ~150 documented cases in medical literature since 1960. In medical literature, we have also seen a large proportion of patients diagnosed with Lance Adams attain full functional recovery, when discharged to the proper site of care, and we are hopeful that Kirk will be able to achieve a similar outcome.

In June, we transferred Kirk from Sutter Sacramento Hospital to a Long Term Acute Care facility in Rancho Cucamonga, where the care team was able to ween Kirk off of his breathing tube, and close down his tracheostomy. Here, he was able to start moving his fingers, arms, legs and toes. His long term memory was great, medium term memory good, and short term memory was improving. Here, he was showing exceptional cognition, and believe that he is exhibiting Level VI Brain Injury Recovery based on the Rancho Los Amigos Brain Injury Recovery Scale.

On August 1, Kirk was admitted to Casa Colina's Neuro Rehabiliation program. Here, he was able to participate in 3 hours of rehabiliation a day, including physicial therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. It was during this leg of Kirk's recovery that Kirk was able to take his first steps and get on his feet again, as well as make progress in being able to feed himself again. His entire care team and the support staff made a huge difference in his improvement, showing great care, support, and encouragement in his recovery process.

Upon the reccomendation of his care team, Kirk was admitted to Casa Colina's Transitional Living Center in late September, with the aid of the Casa Colina Foundation, which we are very greatful for given that this stage of his recovery was no longer covered by our insurance. This is where Kirk is today, and here he is receiving 6 hours of physicial, speech, and occupational therapy a day. We are very encouraged by his progress to date and continue to pray for Kirk's full recovery.

Thank you all again for all your support, it is making all the difference in the world to Kirk and our family.