Help C.J. Garibay's Family Get Back On Their Feet
Donation protected
I went to the emergency room on November 4th, 2018 to be checked out for heart problems. After a few days of testing, the doctors determined that I had significant blockage in some of my arteries, including 80% blockage in the LAD, also known as the "widow maker." I underwent a triple bypass (CABG - coronary artery bypass graft) on November 8th, and started my recovery period after an initial 24 hour stay in the ICU.
Normally, I would've been discharged after 4 or 5 days, but there were some post-op complications. First, I got a cellulitis infection in my left leg, which was extremely painful, and required two weeks of antibiotics (it actually took longer than 2 weeks because the initial antibiotics used were insufficient); cellulitis infections are common after CABG procedures because the surgeon extracts veins from your legs to graft onto your heart arteries. Then, due to the stress of the surgery on my body, I had a gout flare up in my right foot; this was the first time in my life I've ever experienced that, and it hurt worse than the cellulitis.
Once the cellulitis infection and the gout had been treated and cleared up, I had to go to a 24/7 in-patient rehab facility. I was finally discharged and cleared to go home exactly one month after I initially showed up to the emergency room - December 4th, 2018.
I normally work from home as a software developer, so the month I spent in the hospital, unable to work, prevented me from earning any income. My wife works full time (50+ hours a week) out of the house, but she had to invoke FMLA (the Family and Medical Leave Act) to get time off (unpaid) to tend to me and be at my side at the most critical moments of my hospitalization.
Between my inability to earn income during this past month and my wife's unpaid time off to help me through my hospitalization, we've taken a significant financial hit. Fortunately, I've had adequate insurance to cover most medical expenses, but the loss of income has made it difficult to cover the basics of life, like food, rent, and utilities. I'll be under home health care for the next few weeks (nurses and therapists will come visit me a few times a week), and I'll need to get to doctors' appointments, which means additional transportation costs. So we just need a little bit to make ends meet this month while I continue healing and slowly return to work.
The situation is quite urgent at the moment; we're having to decide between rent and food. We also have a 12 year old daughter, and she doesn't quite understand the severity of the situation (she has mild autism)...so it's personally frustrating to not be able to provide adequately for her. We've already started making cutbacks on non essential items, like unnecessary cable TV, but we still need a little bit of financial assistance to have some peace of mind during this holiday season.
Thank you all for you kindness and generosity.
Normally, I would've been discharged after 4 or 5 days, but there were some post-op complications. First, I got a cellulitis infection in my left leg, which was extremely painful, and required two weeks of antibiotics (it actually took longer than 2 weeks because the initial antibiotics used were insufficient); cellulitis infections are common after CABG procedures because the surgeon extracts veins from your legs to graft onto your heart arteries. Then, due to the stress of the surgery on my body, I had a gout flare up in my right foot; this was the first time in my life I've ever experienced that, and it hurt worse than the cellulitis.
Once the cellulitis infection and the gout had been treated and cleared up, I had to go to a 24/7 in-patient rehab facility. I was finally discharged and cleared to go home exactly one month after I initially showed up to the emergency room - December 4th, 2018.
I normally work from home as a software developer, so the month I spent in the hospital, unable to work, prevented me from earning any income. My wife works full time (50+ hours a week) out of the house, but she had to invoke FMLA (the Family and Medical Leave Act) to get time off (unpaid) to tend to me and be at my side at the most critical moments of my hospitalization.
Between my inability to earn income during this past month and my wife's unpaid time off to help me through my hospitalization, we've taken a significant financial hit. Fortunately, I've had adequate insurance to cover most medical expenses, but the loss of income has made it difficult to cover the basics of life, like food, rent, and utilities. I'll be under home health care for the next few weeks (nurses and therapists will come visit me a few times a week), and I'll need to get to doctors' appointments, which means additional transportation costs. So we just need a little bit to make ends meet this month while I continue healing and slowly return to work.
The situation is quite urgent at the moment; we're having to decide between rent and food. We also have a 12 year old daughter, and she doesn't quite understand the severity of the situation (she has mild autism)...so it's personally frustrating to not be able to provide adequately for her. We've already started making cutbacks on non essential items, like unnecessary cable TV, but we still need a little bit of financial assistance to have some peace of mind during this holiday season.
Thank you all for you kindness and generosity.
Organizer
Cipriano J Garibay
Organizer
Pittsburgh, PA