God works a Miracle for Gary
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How a Big Heart Keeps Giving
Hello, my name is Carol Zelmore Reinecker and I am Gary Zelmore’s sister and this is his story. Gary has a big heart, is a sensitive and compassionate individual who almost died 3 times.
He is the youngest of 4 siblings and was born with a development disability. He is high functioning, drives and held a job, does metal scraping and is loved by most of the people who know him in the town he grew up. He was a Boy Scout, Team leader on his bowling team and model employee when he worked at Ethicon.
He is known as “Big G” partially because he is 6’2”, but mainly because he has a big giving heart. He has had a life-changing, catastrophic, medical event occur.
The reason I started this Go-Fund Me Campaign was to help Gary with his new life after this life-altering diagnosis.
The money raised will be used for the following:
o To modify his home to accommodate his limitations
o To install a stair climber up to his bedroom
o To install a ramp or elevator to get into the house
o To provide Rehabilitation services that may exceed the insurance limitations.
o To pay for medical devices, since he will need more than one.
o To pay to convert his truck
o To pay for ongoing physical, occupational and speech therapy that may not be covered by insurance
o Any co-pays on medications that may be needed for the rest of his life.
o To pay off his truck
How can you help a Giver like Gary? Good questions…you can DONATE and /or share his story with 3 people. Gary continues to bring joy to many and God has worked a miracle to continue his journey with the support of friends, family and strangers. God bless all and I encourage you to read the detailed story below.
It’s Friday March 9 around 11 am, our life as we knew it changed when, Gary collapsed in his room. Mom called 911 and then she called me. “Carol, do you think Gary can go to the hospital by himself?”, I asked “Why is Gary going to the hospital, he collapsed, she replied. At the young age of 95 Mom thought she should try to go to the ER with him. I said, NO, Rick and I would drive up from Delaware. Stay safe and we will report back. Thank God Gary has her determination.
Warren Township Police and Rescue Squad arrived. When word went out that it was our address of 84 and when they arrived to find it was “Big G” reinforcements were called in from the Fire Department. It took 12 men to get Gary down the 7 stairs with the stretcher.
The ambulance took him to the Emergency Department at Morristown Medical Center. He had a fever of 104 and was dehydrated and in evaluating him it was determined that he arrived in full Sepsis shock.
They started Gary with IV fluids, his fever was down, and they were moving him to Step Down ICU. So, we made our return trip home to Delaware. As we approached the half way mark home we would get a call from the ER Dr that would change the trajectory of this event. Gary’s situation had changed for the worse, the next 72 hours were critical. They needed consent for an arterial line and a central line.
Turns out he has a bad infection that showed up in his Right leg and they needed to give him Broad spectrum antibiotics intravenously. I gave consent and we continued our drive home to DE. By now it’s about 9:30 pm. Doctor said he would call if there were changes. We weren’t home 30 minutes when we got the call that Gary has been moved to the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). (Where the sickest patients are in the hospital, besides cardiac).
I asked the Doctor if it was his loved one what would he do. His answer was come be near him.
So, Rick and I took showers and made the 112 miles ride back in the middle of the night. I called my best friend Nancy to meet us there (given I’m married to a German, we thought we might need more moral support) we didn’t think we would have the strength for what lies ahead.
It’s now 3 am on Saturday morning, when we arrive in MICU. Gary is very grave. We notice he is on the ventilator and we meet the Critical Care Doctor, Dr. David Sousa. I could tell right away that this Doctor is very candid. At 4 am the kidney doctor advises that Gary needs to be put on continuous dialysis. The order was put in as “Super Stat”, but it took 5 hours before they finally got him hooked up. It takes 45 minutes to prime the machine, Gary is only on the dialysis machine for 45 minutes before the filter gets clogged because of what is circulating in Gary’s blood. This is NOT a good beginning.
Doctors of all specialties are called in to consult on the case. Cardiologist, Vascular Surgeon, A nephrologist (kidney) a gastroenterologist (liver) and a hematologist. Dr. Sousa is the pulmonologist and is our main point of contact thru this ordeal.
I remember Dr. Sousa coming to us and saying, we are giving him everything we have in our tool box, but the infection is not budging. I replied, “Gary is a fighter and an anomaly, he’s going to make it just keep working on him.” We are praying, and Dr. Sousa’s response was “we could use some help from Heaven”. As we talk to the different medical team members, they are saying, he is VERY, VERY sick. He is far back in the woods.
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Day 2
It’s now 26 hours into most critical first 72. Its 2 PM on Saturday afternoon. Dr. Sousa finds us in the waiting room and has a concerned look. He says Carol, you know I am a straight shooter, but it doesn’t look good…he’s not responding. Gary’s heart if VERY WEAK and it is NOT pumping blood to the extremities. He is turning blue…
They asked about Penicillin… well Gary is allergic to penicillin, Dr. Sousa asked what were his symptoms…did his throat close? I replied, "I don’t know I was a kid when it happened". They said usual side effects was closing of his throat, so what better place to be if that happens, he’s on the ventilator anyway and we need the benefit of that family of medicine. I said then give it to him. He wanted to give him a Penicillin cousin, Vancomycin.
Doctor returns… so now I have given permission to use a medicine that Gary is allergic to. Then he comes back and says there is a protocol of Vitamin C and Thiamine but there are not enough clinical trials to know the side effects yet long term. My response, “Doctor, you are telling me you don’t think my brother is going to live and I don’t care about side effect, “GO FOR IT”.
All I could think was I was in a nightmare… my youngest brother is fighting for his life and his parents are not by his side. I asked the Doctor what he would do if it was his brother. He replied, “I would bring Gary’s parents in to see him.” Now keep in mind it is early March, there is still some snow on the ground in the mountains and Mom is 95 on a walker and Dad is 90 on a cane and they must come down 7 steps to get out of the house. Those who know the house, know what I mean.
As the oldest I must make the decision whether to bring in my senior parents to see their special needs son Gary fighting for his life since medically the odds are against him and he is on death’s door. If I bring them in I risk putting them at risk, but if I don’t I have to live with the regret that they didn’t say good bye.
So… Who goes? I send my husband Rick and my best friend Nancy to Warren to get my parents and bring them in wheelchairs.
I believe I would bring them in to say goodbye and THEN God would work a miracle!!
The MICU room is very small and now you add 2 senior parents in wheelchairs.
Keep in mind, we are in the very critical 72 hours since noon on Friday and they still don’t know the exact source of the infection. He has a hernia, but they can’t determine it that is the source of the infection. Dr. Sousa says, he’s too weak to move for a cat scan, “I could lose him on the table.”
- He’s on a ventilator
- He’s on the continuous dialysis machine
- He’s on IV fluids
- He’s on pressures to raise his blood pressure
- He has 9 IV pumps
- His heart is VERY WEAK
His heart was failing…my comment to the Doctor, “Gary has a giving heart so if God does take him, it will be because he gave so much”. The cardiologist says it doesn’t look good. My reply, “Gary is an anomaly and he is going to prove you wrong.”
We almost lost Gary on Friday night before they moved him to MICU and again on Saturday night. (There would be a 3rd time we almost lost him described later)
His medical team, with Dr. Sousa, are doing everything they can.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 3
It’s Sunday morning… Dr. Sousa was surprised to see Gary, he didn’t think he would make the night but at 5am. Dr. says his legs are blowing up.
Gary is FAILING…he is in Multi Organ Failure, (heart, lungs, kidneys, liver) heart enzymes are high and his heart ejection fracture will later be revealed that it was at 10% (should be 60%).
He had 35 pounds of overload of fluid.
7 am Dr. Sousa comes in to let us know we are at a LIFE or LIMB situation. Then the Vascular Surgeon comes in. Thankfully, William, David and I were in the same place. Seldom happens and we briefly discussed our decision.
Doctor says, “They believe the infection is in his leg so to save his life we need to take his right leg above the knee.” There is no guarantee that if we take his leg that he will live anyway. His left leg is turning blue and his extremities are cold.
Odds:
-30% chance that he won’t make it out of the O.R.
-60% chance he won’t leave the hospital even if he gets out of surgery
-He’s in Heart failure
-His odds are 80% chance he will be wheelchair bound
Even with those odds, we gave the go ahead to proceed to save his life and take his leg. If they amputate his leg, they can give him a chance.
All I could think was how would we tell him?
How would he feel?
Would he be able to drive?
“Big G” works and drives and is transportation for anyone who needs a ride including his Senior parents. His giving heart and spirit are second to none. Gary is the most selfless person I know, ask anyone who knows him.
God has given him many skills and he has learned to adapt his whole life with his communication skills. Now, the skills God has given him will serve him as he will be an amputee.
Now is the scramble to watch the medical team prepare for surgery.
They needed to clear the O.R. to get Gary in (Remember its’ Sunday morning) (later Gary would ask “Oh wasn’t the Doctor busy?” What he knows is you need an appointment for surgery or a Doctor and he DID NOT have one this time. How cute!!
It was funny watching them take him from MICU to O.R as the team entered the elevator. They had the disposable white gowns on. When I asked Amanda, Gary’s nurse the size she said One size fits all. “Big G is about the only person it would fit given he’s 6’2” The elevator was full of the ventilator and all the poles plus the surgical team. We watched as the last nurse used her elbow to close the elevator door and as they breathed in, there was not one bit of space left.
9:30 AM Gary goes in with the Vascular Surgeon and the General Surgeon and by
10:45 AM He is out of surgery and it was a success, he did great… no surprises for the surgeons.
We are still “Way Back in the Woods”
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Recap at the 72-hour critical mark:
We have taken his leg to potentially save his life, but his left leg is turning blue and his hands as well.
Did we wait too long to take his leg? Will we lose him anyway?
As people asked what he needed, prayer was the answer. “keep praying – pray harder”
For 7 days Gary had the title of "The sickest patient in MICU".
We sat round the clock till he started to turn. The team was in his room constantly.
After they took his leg, the white blood count (WBC) was still over 38,000.
Doctor says they need a cat scan, but he is too sick. Something is still going on even after the leg. They are scrambling to tweak all the meds.
All the numbers are going in the WRONG direction.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 6
Doctor is cautiously optimistic.
Gary is VERY, VERY sick. Only a 60% chance he will leave the hospital. I knew Dr. was preparing us. Doctor Sousa says he gives his all because of the 10 patients he has in MICU, at any one time, he doesn’t know who will make it.
Each day we watched and took any win we got. Gary’s body is beginning to respond. He is starting to turn the corner. He’s staying in MICU while he has BP issues, is on continuous dialysis and until the breathing tube is out.
The usual path of a patient from MICU usually is not straight forward.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 8
Cardiologist doesn’t like his heart rhythm. He has gone into an A Fib episode. More meds.
Day 12
Gary gets the tube taken out to get him off the Ventilator. So, for 3 days he was doing better.
Day 16
It’s Saturday night and he has had a set back and bled out. They gave him 6 pints of blood. That was the 3rd time, we almost lost Gary, as I mentioned previously.
Doctor says his path was not “normal” but since Gary has been beating all the odds we were not totally surprised.
When you are on a medical rollercoaster sometimes you need the reminder that Gary was so critical and it’s not a straight journey.
He may have pneumonia, a fever again and his Blood Pressure(BP) was low. They actual gave him Narcan to reverse the Fentanyl IV drip he was receiving for all these days. Because he had been so sick he had developed a bedsore. Common for a person who was in bed and as sick as Gary, but still a wound and that complicates his recovery.
“The trajectory he was going wasn’t a good place” according to Dr. Sousa.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 21
Now another decision time. It’s a Hard line in the sand day. He has been on the ventilator for 3 weeks.
Dr. Sousa comes to us and says you have 2 options:
1. We could take him off the ventilator and see if he can breathe on his own. (not a very likely option given his shallow breathing)
2. Do a tracheotomy and give his lungs more time to recover.
The decision was made to do the tracheotomy. So now he is on the ventilator.
Day 25
Gary goes back in for surgery to close his right leg. When they get in they determine that they need to take more and get to a strong muscle, so he has a fighting chance to have success with a prosthetic.
Day 27 - Gary Leaves MICU
HE FINALLY leaves Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) which the team was grateful for. It was a great day when they moved him to the respiratory floor because a lot had to happen for that milestone and miracle.
Update:
-He is off the dialysis machine
-Liver enzyme numbers are back to normal range
-Heart is stable
-They have controlled his blood pressure.
Remember, Doctors only gave a 60% change he would leave the hospital so the day we were planning his discharge to the rehab was a milestone and a miracle. We are grateful for all his care in Morristown Medical Center ... among the country’s top hospitals.
Gary says he wants to go back to the first place…What he meant was when he is all well he wants to visit Dr. Sousa and MICU and show that he is a survivor and as he says, “I am still here!”
He still has a very long road to recover.
Day 48
Gary finally moved to a rehab to continue to get well but must learn how do everything new again.
Now as an amputee, besides needing the strength and dexterity to put his shirt on he will need to learn how to transfer from a wheelchair to the toilet and those basic needs we all take for granted.
Day 75
No one can give us a timeline for how quickly Gary will recover.
What we do know is that Gary is strong and a fighter and has a community of people rallying behind him.
Our plan is to bring him home to the home he grew up in with our parents. This house is not currently wheelchair accessible and the bones and structure make that almost impossible.
Day 81
They have removed the trach and Gary is breathing on his own after almost 8 weeks.
He still is challenged with swallowing since those muscles were compromised when he was born and it’s not surprising they are the last to recover.
The power of prayer and the will to live is why Gary is with us and I am writing this story.
Gary is a person of faith and there is much to be learned from Gary’s determination.
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As a person of abilities Gary has the characteristics of acceptance and perseverance.
I am sure God has many things in store for Gary.
As I write this story and I look at the Special Olympic Calendar I am not surprised on the months themes.
March = Transformation
April = Friendship
May = Acceptance
June = Dignity
July -= Joy
I am reminded that this special population has much to offer the world and we can all learn a lesson from Gary and the Power of Prayer.
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Day 100
He has been in the Rehab for 54 Days. Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy six days a week. We take all the victories we get. He is now able to dial a phone, sit on the edge of the bed, raise his arm up and put on his shirt.
But the wounds he has are still preventing him from striving yet.
He still does NOT have a prosthetic.
Gary loves helping people, so we hope that his generous spirit can inspire you to help him.
I know Gary will learn to adapt with his new life... I know he is up for the challenge.
We are on this journey and it may be a bumpy road, but with God all things are possible, so any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading
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How can you Help Gary, the Giver and pay it forward?
· Please DONATE and/or with 3 friends
· Do Gary a favor and be his customer and save money on your electric bills, thereby helping Gary build his business so he can be self-sufficient. Contact Carol for more information.
· Look at a franchise like business opportunity that Gary has started (with some assistance from my husband and I). We help people make money with part-time effort without changing what they are currently doing. View his short informational videos at http://BigG.energy526.com/ . Carol is ready to answer any of your questions.
Hello, my name is Carol Zelmore Reinecker and I am Gary Zelmore’s sister and this is his story. Gary has a big heart, is a sensitive and compassionate individual who almost died 3 times.
He is the youngest of 4 siblings and was born with a development disability. He is high functioning, drives and held a job, does metal scraping and is loved by most of the people who know him in the town he grew up. He was a Boy Scout, Team leader on his bowling team and model employee when he worked at Ethicon.
He is known as “Big G” partially because he is 6’2”, but mainly because he has a big giving heart. He has had a life-changing, catastrophic, medical event occur.
The reason I started this Go-Fund Me Campaign was to help Gary with his new life after this life-altering diagnosis.
The money raised will be used for the following:
o To modify his home to accommodate his limitations
o To install a stair climber up to his bedroom
o To install a ramp or elevator to get into the house
o To provide Rehabilitation services that may exceed the insurance limitations.
o To pay for medical devices, since he will need more than one.
o To pay to convert his truck
o To pay for ongoing physical, occupational and speech therapy that may not be covered by insurance
o Any co-pays on medications that may be needed for the rest of his life.
o To pay off his truck
How can you help a Giver like Gary? Good questions…you can DONATE and /or share his story with 3 people. Gary continues to bring joy to many and God has worked a miracle to continue his journey with the support of friends, family and strangers. God bless all and I encourage you to read the detailed story below.
It’s Friday March 9 around 11 am, our life as we knew it changed when, Gary collapsed in his room. Mom called 911 and then she called me. “Carol, do you think Gary can go to the hospital by himself?”, I asked “Why is Gary going to the hospital, he collapsed, she replied. At the young age of 95 Mom thought she should try to go to the ER with him. I said, NO, Rick and I would drive up from Delaware. Stay safe and we will report back. Thank God Gary has her determination.
Warren Township Police and Rescue Squad arrived. When word went out that it was our address of 84 and when they arrived to find it was “Big G” reinforcements were called in from the Fire Department. It took 12 men to get Gary down the 7 stairs with the stretcher.
The ambulance took him to the Emergency Department at Morristown Medical Center. He had a fever of 104 and was dehydrated and in evaluating him it was determined that he arrived in full Sepsis shock.
They started Gary with IV fluids, his fever was down, and they were moving him to Step Down ICU. So, we made our return trip home to Delaware. As we approached the half way mark home we would get a call from the ER Dr that would change the trajectory of this event. Gary’s situation had changed for the worse, the next 72 hours were critical. They needed consent for an arterial line and a central line.
Turns out he has a bad infection that showed up in his Right leg and they needed to give him Broad spectrum antibiotics intravenously. I gave consent and we continued our drive home to DE. By now it’s about 9:30 pm. Doctor said he would call if there were changes. We weren’t home 30 minutes when we got the call that Gary has been moved to the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). (Where the sickest patients are in the hospital, besides cardiac).
I asked the Doctor if it was his loved one what would he do. His answer was come be near him.
So, Rick and I took showers and made the 112 miles ride back in the middle of the night. I called my best friend Nancy to meet us there (given I’m married to a German, we thought we might need more moral support) we didn’t think we would have the strength for what lies ahead.
It’s now 3 am on Saturday morning, when we arrive in MICU. Gary is very grave. We notice he is on the ventilator and we meet the Critical Care Doctor, Dr. David Sousa. I could tell right away that this Doctor is very candid. At 4 am the kidney doctor advises that Gary needs to be put on continuous dialysis. The order was put in as “Super Stat”, but it took 5 hours before they finally got him hooked up. It takes 45 minutes to prime the machine, Gary is only on the dialysis machine for 45 minutes before the filter gets clogged because of what is circulating in Gary’s blood. This is NOT a good beginning.
Doctors of all specialties are called in to consult on the case. Cardiologist, Vascular Surgeon, A nephrologist (kidney) a gastroenterologist (liver) and a hematologist. Dr. Sousa is the pulmonologist and is our main point of contact thru this ordeal.
I remember Dr. Sousa coming to us and saying, we are giving him everything we have in our tool box, but the infection is not budging. I replied, “Gary is a fighter and an anomaly, he’s going to make it just keep working on him.” We are praying, and Dr. Sousa’s response was “we could use some help from Heaven”. As we talk to the different medical team members, they are saying, he is VERY, VERY sick. He is far back in the woods.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 2
It’s now 26 hours into most critical first 72. Its 2 PM on Saturday afternoon. Dr. Sousa finds us in the waiting room and has a concerned look. He says Carol, you know I am a straight shooter, but it doesn’t look good…he’s not responding. Gary’s heart if VERY WEAK and it is NOT pumping blood to the extremities. He is turning blue…
They asked about Penicillin… well Gary is allergic to penicillin, Dr. Sousa asked what were his symptoms…did his throat close? I replied, "I don’t know I was a kid when it happened". They said usual side effects was closing of his throat, so what better place to be if that happens, he’s on the ventilator anyway and we need the benefit of that family of medicine. I said then give it to him. He wanted to give him a Penicillin cousin, Vancomycin.
Doctor returns… so now I have given permission to use a medicine that Gary is allergic to. Then he comes back and says there is a protocol of Vitamin C and Thiamine but there are not enough clinical trials to know the side effects yet long term. My response, “Doctor, you are telling me you don’t think my brother is going to live and I don’t care about side effect, “GO FOR IT”.
All I could think was I was in a nightmare… my youngest brother is fighting for his life and his parents are not by his side. I asked the Doctor what he would do if it was his brother. He replied, “I would bring Gary’s parents in to see him.” Now keep in mind it is early March, there is still some snow on the ground in the mountains and Mom is 95 on a walker and Dad is 90 on a cane and they must come down 7 steps to get out of the house. Those who know the house, know what I mean.
As the oldest I must make the decision whether to bring in my senior parents to see their special needs son Gary fighting for his life since medically the odds are against him and he is on death’s door. If I bring them in I risk putting them at risk, but if I don’t I have to live with the regret that they didn’t say good bye.
So… Who goes? I send my husband Rick and my best friend Nancy to Warren to get my parents and bring them in wheelchairs.
I believe I would bring them in to say goodbye and THEN God would work a miracle!!
The MICU room is very small and now you add 2 senior parents in wheelchairs.
Keep in mind, we are in the very critical 72 hours since noon on Friday and they still don’t know the exact source of the infection. He has a hernia, but they can’t determine it that is the source of the infection. Dr. Sousa says, he’s too weak to move for a cat scan, “I could lose him on the table.”
- He’s on a ventilator
- He’s on the continuous dialysis machine
- He’s on IV fluids
- He’s on pressures to raise his blood pressure
- He has 9 IV pumps
- His heart is VERY WEAK
His heart was failing…my comment to the Doctor, “Gary has a giving heart so if God does take him, it will be because he gave so much”. The cardiologist says it doesn’t look good. My reply, “Gary is an anomaly and he is going to prove you wrong.”
We almost lost Gary on Friday night before they moved him to MICU and again on Saturday night. (There would be a 3rd time we almost lost him described later)
His medical team, with Dr. Sousa, are doing everything they can.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 3
It’s Sunday morning… Dr. Sousa was surprised to see Gary, he didn’t think he would make the night but at 5am. Dr. says his legs are blowing up.
Gary is FAILING…he is in Multi Organ Failure, (heart, lungs, kidneys, liver) heart enzymes are high and his heart ejection fracture will later be revealed that it was at 10% (should be 60%).
He had 35 pounds of overload of fluid.7 am Dr. Sousa comes in to let us know we are at a LIFE or LIMB situation. Then the Vascular Surgeon comes in. Thankfully, William, David and I were in the same place. Seldom happens and we briefly discussed our decision.
Doctor says, “They believe the infection is in his leg so to save his life we need to take his right leg above the knee.” There is no guarantee that if we take his leg that he will live anyway. His left leg is turning blue and his extremities are cold.
Odds:
-30% chance that he won’t make it out of the O.R.
-60% chance he won’t leave the hospital even if he gets out of surgery
-He’s in Heart failure
-His odds are 80% chance he will be wheelchair bound
Even with those odds, we gave the go ahead to proceed to save his life and take his leg. If they amputate his leg, they can give him a chance.
All I could think was how would we tell him?
How would he feel?
Would he be able to drive?
“Big G” works and drives and is transportation for anyone who needs a ride including his Senior parents. His giving heart and spirit are second to none. Gary is the most selfless person I know, ask anyone who knows him.
God has given him many skills and he has learned to adapt his whole life with his communication skills. Now, the skills God has given him will serve him as he will be an amputee.
Now is the scramble to watch the medical team prepare for surgery.
They needed to clear the O.R. to get Gary in (Remember its’ Sunday morning) (later Gary would ask “Oh wasn’t the Doctor busy?” What he knows is you need an appointment for surgery or a Doctor and he DID NOT have one this time. How cute!!
It was funny watching them take him from MICU to O.R as the team entered the elevator. They had the disposable white gowns on. When I asked Amanda, Gary’s nurse the size she said One size fits all. “Big G is about the only person it would fit given he’s 6’2” The elevator was full of the ventilator and all the poles plus the surgical team. We watched as the last nurse used her elbow to close the elevator door and as they breathed in, there was not one bit of space left.
9:30 AM Gary goes in with the Vascular Surgeon and the General Surgeon and by
10:45 AM He is out of surgery and it was a success, he did great… no surprises for the surgeons.
We are still “Way Back in the Woods”
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Recap at the 72-hour critical mark:
We have taken his leg to potentially save his life, but his left leg is turning blue and his hands as well.
Did we wait too long to take his leg? Will we lose him anyway?
As people asked what he needed, prayer was the answer. “keep praying – pray harder”
For 7 days Gary had the title of "The sickest patient in MICU".
We sat round the clock till he started to turn. The team was in his room constantly.
After they took his leg, the white blood count (WBC) was still over 38,000.
Doctor says they need a cat scan, but he is too sick. Something is still going on even after the leg. They are scrambling to tweak all the meds.
All the numbers are going in the WRONG direction.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 6
Doctor is cautiously optimistic.
Gary is VERY, VERY sick. Only a 60% chance he will leave the hospital. I knew Dr. was preparing us. Doctor Sousa says he gives his all because of the 10 patients he has in MICU, at any one time, he doesn’t know who will make it.
Each day we watched and took any win we got. Gary’s body is beginning to respond. He is starting to turn the corner. He’s staying in MICU while he has BP issues, is on continuous dialysis and until the breathing tube is out.
The usual path of a patient from MICU usually is not straight forward.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 8
Cardiologist doesn’t like his heart rhythm. He has gone into an A Fib episode. More meds.
Day 12
Gary gets the tube taken out to get him off the Ventilator. So, for 3 days he was doing better.
Day 16
It’s Saturday night and he has had a set back and bled out. They gave him 6 pints of blood. That was the 3rd time, we almost lost Gary, as I mentioned previously.
Doctor says his path was not “normal” but since Gary has been beating all the odds we were not totally surprised.
When you are on a medical rollercoaster sometimes you need the reminder that Gary was so critical and it’s not a straight journey.
He may have pneumonia, a fever again and his Blood Pressure(BP) was low. They actual gave him Narcan to reverse the Fentanyl IV drip he was receiving for all these days. Because he had been so sick he had developed a bedsore. Common for a person who was in bed and as sick as Gary, but still a wound and that complicates his recovery.
“The trajectory he was going wasn’t a good place” according to Dr. Sousa.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 21
Now another decision time. It’s a Hard line in the sand day. He has been on the ventilator for 3 weeks.
Dr. Sousa comes to us and says you have 2 options:
1. We could take him off the ventilator and see if he can breathe on his own. (not a very likely option given his shallow breathing)
2. Do a tracheotomy and give his lungs more time to recover.
The decision was made to do the tracheotomy. So now he is on the ventilator.
Day 25
Gary goes back in for surgery to close his right leg. When they get in they determine that they need to take more and get to a strong muscle, so he has a fighting chance to have success with a prosthetic.
Day 27 - Gary Leaves MICU
HE FINALLY leaves Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) which the team was grateful for. It was a great day when they moved him to the respiratory floor because a lot had to happen for that milestone and miracle.
Update:
-He is off the dialysis machine
-Liver enzyme numbers are back to normal range
-Heart is stable
-They have controlled his blood pressure.
Remember, Doctors only gave a 60% change he would leave the hospital so the day we were planning his discharge to the rehab was a milestone and a miracle. We are grateful for all his care in Morristown Medical Center ... among the country’s top hospitals.
Gary says he wants to go back to the first place…What he meant was when he is all well he wants to visit Dr. Sousa and MICU and show that he is a survivor and as he says, “I am still here!”
He still has a very long road to recover.
Day 48
Gary finally moved to a rehab to continue to get well but must learn how do everything new again.
Now as an amputee, besides needing the strength and dexterity to put his shirt on he will need to learn how to transfer from a wheelchair to the toilet and those basic needs we all take for granted.
Day 75
No one can give us a timeline for how quickly Gary will recover.
What we do know is that Gary is strong and a fighter and has a community of people rallying behind him.
Our plan is to bring him home to the home he grew up in with our parents. This house is not currently wheelchair accessible and the bones and structure make that almost impossible.
Day 81
They have removed the trach and Gary is breathing on his own after almost 8 weeks.
He still is challenged with swallowing since those muscles were compromised when he was born and it’s not surprising they are the last to recover.
The power of prayer and the will to live is why Gary is with us and I am writing this story.
Gary is a person of faith and there is much to be learned from Gary’s determination.
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As a person of abilities Gary has the characteristics of acceptance and perseverance.
I am sure God has many things in store for Gary.
As I write this story and I look at the Special Olympic Calendar I am not surprised on the months themes.
March = Transformation
April = Friendship
May = Acceptance
June = Dignity
July -= Joy
I am reminded that this special population has much to offer the world and we can all learn a lesson from Gary and the Power of Prayer.
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Day 100
He has been in the Rehab for 54 Days. Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy six days a week. We take all the victories we get. He is now able to dial a phone, sit on the edge of the bed, raise his arm up and put on his shirt.
But the wounds he has are still preventing him from striving yet.
He still does NOT have a prosthetic.
Gary loves helping people, so we hope that his generous spirit can inspire you to help him.
I know Gary will learn to adapt with his new life... I know he is up for the challenge.
We are on this journey and it may be a bumpy road, but with God all things are possible, so any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading
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How can you Help Gary, the Giver and pay it forward?
· Please DONATE and/or with 3 friends
· Do Gary a favor and be his customer and save money on your electric bills, thereby helping Gary build his business so he can be self-sufficient. Contact Carol for more information.
· Look at a franchise like business opportunity that Gary has started (with some assistance from my husband and I). We help people make money with part-time effort without changing what they are currently doing. View his short informational videos at http://BigG.energy526.com/ . Carol is ready to answer any of your questions.
Organizer
Carol Zelmore Reinecker
Organizer
Warren Township, NJ