Bill Ahren's medical & burial funds

Bill [William Wallace] Ahrens died on July 28, 2015.  He had complications from a VA hospital-acquired infection 3 years earlier.  Bill and his wife, Tina, had raised their 4 children and put them through school, and had carefully saved for their retirement.   Bill and Tina lived in Northern California, approximately 290 miles north of San Francisco, where the Veterans' Administration Hospital is located.   Bill went into the San Francisco VA Hospital for surgery about 3 years ago, anticipating a 5-6 day hospital stay.  While in the VA Hospital, he was diagnosed with a hospital-acquired infection.  He remained an inpatient and underwent several trips back to the surgery suite at the VA Hospital and remained in ICU for 3 months.  His chest was reopened and a remained that way until the infection cleared.  His condition was touch and go, and many immediate decisions had to be made regarding his healthcare.  After leaving ICU he spent the next 15 months in inpatient rehab both at the VA Community Living Center and then at a rehab facility in Fairfax.  His wife Tina stayed in motels in San Francisco for many, many weeks as the VA Hospital had no accommodation for dependents.  A family friend invited Tina to stay in Novato near the rehabilitation center in Fairfax.  Bill’s kidney function failed early on requiring continuous dialysis while in ICU and kidney dialysis three times a week while in the rehabilitation centers.  The VA stated it was not their fault and thus required copays for each visit.  By the time he was released from the VA Hospital and Community Living Center, his body had sustained so much damage that he still required kidney dialysis three times a week, he was unable to walk and required an electric wheel chair for mobility.  When Bill was finally able to go home 18 months after the surgery he still had many, many medical appointments.   He was unable to walk without a walker, unable to stand on his own without support, was generally very weak and continued rehab at home through Home Health.  The expenses incurred throughout were astronomical, and put a strain on their finances.   Recently he awoke in severe pain and it was determined that he had failure of his gallbladder.  Surgery was accomplished the following day at a local hospital and he appeared to be able to be released soon.  Another infection reared its ugly head at the new surgical site.    He underwent another surgical procedure to remove infected tissue but he continued to decline.  He died three weeks later, on July 28, 2015.   His wife is left with funeral and burial expenses and medical bills for the three weeks in the hospital and ICU.  She is fearful of losing the house they have had since their children were small.   All of this has occurred because of the infections he acquired at the VA and local Hospital.  She can certainly use any financial help that can be given.