As some of you may have noticed, we have a lot more balloon animals and facepaint opportunities around Rapid City. That is all thanks to Swish ‘N Flick Entertainment! I have had the pleasure of working beside at events and becoming close friends with.

 

In 2020, David and his wife Jenell relocated from California to Rapid City, South Dakota. Together they have greatly enriched the lives of the people of the Black Hills with sharing their talents with balloon twisting and face painting. In 2021 David decided to take the leap and quit his day job to work alongside Jenell so they could bring more joy to the young and the young at heart alike. Since doing so, their business has flourished with the love and support from our community!

 

Something most of you don’t know is that David has a rare heart condition called Brugada's Syndrome and has a defibrillator. January 4th, 2022 David’s defibrillator went off six times in a row, completely unprompted, causing extreme pain and panic. David was home alone when it happened and was taken to the ER by an ambulance.

 

Once admitted, David was forced into the Covid unit after testing positive while in the ER. This meant Jenell was unable to visit and in turn, making it extremely difficult to advocate for his needs. The hospital has been providing poor care to him, including neglecting him for hours at a time when he had another episode at the hospital, leaving him unchecked for hours, and poor bedside manner and follow through from staff.

 

After hours of calling back and forth, Jenell finally got Doctors to give some answers. The doctors have stated that the device flipped into a Backup Mode and essentially did not record anything of what happened, so they can’t be sure what caused it. They assured them that they updated the device so it will record if it happens again. Unfortunately, this could mean either the device is faulty, or that something more could be wrong with David’s heart, but until the device goes off again, they have no answers for us.

 

While at the hospital, David was also experiencing intermittent tachycardia and the cardiologist said his stress levels are very high and a cause for concern. The doctor said that he needs to take this serious and really rest and try his best to remove as much stress from his life as possible. Especially given they do not know what caused his device to activate.

 

How will the funds be used?

1) Medical expenses. David does not have medical insurance, and he was met with several instances where medical professionals would inquire about how he was going to afford treatment instead of putting his medical needs and treatment first. This was very distressing for David’s heart rate and anxiety.

 

2) David and Jenell’s living expenses. David is unable to work and Jenell is taking care of him. This will allow Jenell to closely monitor him along with doctors.

 

3) Travel expenses. It is a possibility that David will need to travel to see other specialists for his heart condition.

4) Rest. Even though we do not know exactly what is wrong. It is a given fact that after all of this David will need to rest for some time and keep his heart rate as low as possible. This means he will not be able to work for several weeks.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read about David’s emergency. I hope you will consider giving and will share this fundraiser. It is my hope that this will alleviate some of the financial stress that David and Jenell face so they can focus on treating David. Help David’s heart so he can get back to doing what he does best, bringing joy through balloon animals.

 

Friend and Comrade

Alyssa Lynea Tanner

Caricatures By Alyssa