Helping The Houston’s

David Houston and his family would ask you to support our Helping the Houstons Fundraiser by making a donation and spreading the word.  Your kindness means everything to us .

On July 1 , 2021,  Robert Houston woke up and was feeling under the weather and thought he was maybe just getting a slight cold. As the 
days went by, he was gradually feeling worse.

On July 8th, he thought he felt better, but two days later he took a turn for the worse. On July 12th, my mom Vicki called the ambulance and they took him to the hospital in Austin, MN .  He was there for three days, and then sent to  St. Mary's hospital in Rochester, MN to an intensive care unit for the next week and a half.  The doctors were having an extremely difficult time determining what his illness was attributed to.

After numerous tests,  he was finally diagnosed with Anaplasmosis, a tick -borne infection commonly known as Lyme disease. The family
remembered that my dad had gone fishing in northern MN in June, and must of encountered a tick.

Anaplasmosis can be life threatening and effects many organs.   Upon discovery, My dad was dehydrated, and suffered from pneumonia . The doctors inserted a stent into his gallbladder and installed a drain tube to a external bag.  His gallbladder my have to be removed in the future.  He has suffered stage 4 kidney disease as a result.  In addition he is in A-fib which is a irregular heartbeat, and developed a throat infection.  He has also been confused and disoriented.   His blood pressure is a concern, and he developed a rash. 

He was released  from the hospital, and admitted into a rehab care center in Austin, MN  on July 26th.  Since then,  he's had no appetite, and is barely eating , with no sense of smell.  He cannot walk on his own, and he has lost nearly 30 pounds . 

Medicare only pays for 20 days in the care center, which expired tomorrow September 8th.  We have tried to appeal that, and were denied. We are now trying to get other assistance for him to stay in the facility to continue his ongoing rehabilitation, otherwise they will be paying out of pocket to cover the cost.  Any assistance you can provide to our family will help and will be greatly appreciated.

On behalf of my Mom, siblings, and our extended family, thank you so much for your prayers and generosity during this trying time.    

David Houston