Help Andrew and Family Through Medical Crisis

I have started this GoFundMe account on behalf of my Grandson, Andrew, who is fighting for his life at Primary children’s hospital in Salt Lake City and his family who are in the midst of a family tragedy.

Three years ago, after 19 years of a very difficult marriage and subsequent divorce, Andrea, my daughter, took her six little children and moved to Puerto Rico to start a new life. The only things they took with them were 2 suitcases for each child.

In Puerto Rico, through incredible strength and perseverance the family was able to purchase a run down and dilapidated home, while trying to start a family business. The entire family lived in a small apartment, without air conditioning while they all worked together, from the youngest to the oldest to start their own family business and make it something that could support them. It took a couple years of extremely hard work, but eventually they were successful and they were able to make a real life for themselves and to move into something appropriate for the size of their family.

In Puerto Rico, Andrea and her family became very well known as people who loved others, would help anyone in need and were always involved in charitable activities. The family’s love for others resulted in her oldest son desiring to serve as a missionary in Latin America. It would require a commitment of financial support on her part, but she quickly agreed and Mathew left home a year ago, having accepted a two year commitment to serve in Mexico.

For the first time in their lives, the family was in a great place, that is until a week ago when Andrea’s second oldest child, Andrew, suddenly became deathly ill and since that day has been in a fight for his life.

A little over a week ago, Andrea and the kids traveled to Utah from Puerto Rico for a short visit to see the kids father. Along the way they decided to camp outside a small town called Manti. While there, Andrew, who is 17, started experiencing pain in his left arm and nausea. Andrea took him to the local hospital, only to be told that his internal organs were not functioning properly and that he needed to be rushed to Children’s Hospital in Lehi. She quickly returned to the camp ground, rounded up the rest of the children and headed for Lehi, arriving at Primary Children’s Hospital at four in the morning. In hindsight, it is a miracle that Andrew made it there alive.

Unbeknown to anyone, a bacteriological infection was raging inside Andrew’s body. It was a type of infection that is resistant to antibiotics. Known in the medical world as MRSA. The MRSA had poisoned his blood and it was creating septic or poisonous blood clots that by this time had filled his lungs, had moved into his throat and had infected the bone of the left arm and shoulder. In addition, a large pocket of MRSA fluid had built up upon the left knee, right knee, and his salivary glands. within a short time after arriving at Children’s Hospital in Lehi, he went into septic shock and his chances of survival turned very bleak.

A team of exceptional doctors and nurses worked around the clock in a feverish effort to try and save him. He was packed in ice, sedated, placed in a coma, and intubated. For 2 days they tried to stabilize him, only to finally have to life flight him by helicopter to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Andrew arrived in SLC in a physical state from which few people ever come back. But 20 specialists from all departments immediately set to work to keep him alive. The problem was not just trying to deal with infection throughout his body, the immense damage to his lungs from the blood clots and his out of control fever, but to try to find the source of the MRSA blood clots. They scanned his heart, used an ultrasound machine to examine his entire body, but all to no avail. Their primary tool, an MRI machine, has been off the table, because they did not think that he could survive the 1-2 hour scan that would be necessary. But with options running out they have finally decided to take that risk. In addition they are looking at ECMO, which would allow them to shut down the lungs, which would give the lungs a chance to rest, and then send the blood in the body on a circuit outside the body and through the ECMO machine that would oxygenate and clean the blood before sending it back into the body again.

In the midst of all this, yesterday, Andrew came out of sedation. We could communicate with him through hand squeezes and facial expressions. It was so wonderful to see this amazing young man, trying so hard to smile, with tubes running down his throat, into his lungs and more than a dozen lines connecting him to life support equipment.

Unfortunately, coming out of sedation resulted in uncontrolled coughing, which broke loose decayed blood clots in the lungs and almost cost him his life. So they sedated him again in order to get more oxygen to his poor body.

We do not know how this is going to end, but we all are trying to stay optimistic. For 7 days now Andrea has stayed by Andrew’s side, suctioning his throat, and working with every doctor, nurse and specialist to be Andrew’s advocate. During this time she has only had cat naps in a chair beside his bed.

Now the reason for my setting up this GoFundMe page is because of the immense medical costs that are building every day. The doctors are hesitant but still hopeful that they can get to the bottom of this, but have also warned us that even in a best case scenario, we are talking about months of treatment, during which time Andrea will have to find a furnished place to live nearby with her little children, find a car, and hire someone to oversee their home business in Puerto Rico, without which she would have no income at all. This compounded by the overwhelming medical expenses that will not be covered by insurance, could severely damage this family’s future.

Now for those of you that do not know Andrew and wonder what type of young man that he is, let me say this about my Grandson. Andrew is someone very, very special. From the time of his birth we all knew that this was a special child.

From an early age he showed love and concern for others. As his younger siblings came along he gladly shouldered the burden of helping his mother care for them. He also was deeply devoted to his older brother and when he was 11 years old he suffered a terrible, life changing injury while doing a service project to support his older brother who had just entered marching band. He was burned with 3rd degree burns over 30% of his body and was life flighted to the University of Utah Hospital Burn center in Salt Lake City. For the flight, they gave him the code name “Unicorn”. So today, 7 years later, as he lays fighting for his life he is surrounded by Unicorns from well wishers and the hospital staff has hand drawn a magnificent unicorn on his glass door in the ICU.

The 3rd degree burns he suffered left portions of his body permanently scarred but they did not scar his spirit. And since that day he has always stepped forward in the community to help and assist others.

Over the past 3 years Andrew has become a fixture of the service community on the Island of Puerto Rico. He helped clean up after the last major hurricane. He is involved in building restorations and beach restoration. He volunteers to paint schools and once he got his license, began driving disabled and elderly people to church services as well as going out several times each week to paint and clean homes for the disabled. He hopes someday that he can follow in his older brother’s footsteps and do missionary service as well with the people of Latin America.

Andrew has a bright and quick mind to go with his precious spirit. In school he excelled and his favorite extracurricular activity was marching band. Now as he lies in a coma, when his mother plays music that has a good marching band beat to it, you can see his shoulders moving as if he is trying to march and keep time.

Thank you for letting me share the precious story of my daughter, her little children and her son Andrew. And if you are in a position to contribute to the costs of his medical care then please accept our heartfelt love and prayers on your behalf. And if all you can do is pray for him, that would be equally appreciated as well. On behalf of Andrea, her children and my husband and I we extend to each of you reading this message our love and may God bless you.

P.S. Any funds raised beyond what is need for his medical care will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House that helps so many children and families who are suffering.