Hello everyone.  My name is Michelle Torres, I am 23 years old  and I made this GoFundme to help my family financially to visit my dad who is being treated medically at Austin, TX and for his medical bills . You see, my father , Javier Torres , 55 years old, got sick with COVID-19 the last week of October 2020. He got admitted into UMC Hospital at El Paso Texas on November 4, 2020. After about 10 days,  my dad seemed to have more severe symptoms and did not have any progress of relieving the virus. My dad was being treated in an Emergency room  . Because he was getting severely sick he needed to be admitted into  ICU.  But at this time all of El Paso was peeking with COVID 19  cases, there was no hospital in El Pasothat had an ICU room available for my dad . The hospital asked my mom if they had permission to send my dad out of town so he can be treated in an ICU room . My dad got put into an induced coma  and then in November 13 2020 , my father got sent to Austin , TX  by plane immediately because his condition was getting much worse , besides the hospitals best efforts,  they did not have the technology (medical machines)  and rooms to help support  my dad . My father got sent to a hospital in Austin , Tx named Ascension Seton Medical Hospital.  Here in this hospital they have my dad on a machine called ECMO. This machine cost about 5,000 to 10,000 for each day used . I'll put a link so you can all understand more about what this machine helps with. Basically, ECMO, its the most aggressive treatment of life support for the lungs . He has also been put on a dialysis treatment for his kidneys since COVID 19 attacked his kidneys badly. My dad has recently fallen under depression as well , being in another state without his family has taken a toll on his mental health . He is a father of 4 kids and a grandpa to 4 grandchildren.   My mother and I , have gone for 1 week on December to visit him and lift his spirits up while he heals . We have also gone this recent February for 1 week to show our love and support . This has not only been really hard for my dad but it's also been a challenge for us financially.  The cost of the hotels,  food, and the travel to go to Austin , TX from El Paso is starting to take a toll on us on how much we are able to visit my dad, and handle medical bills and everyday life bill's at the same time.  I set a goal for 80,000 including hotels , food , medical bill for ECMO, . My dad has been on this life support for 94 days . The chances of him living a stable life after he is done with his treatment ,  is 31%... I want to make the most of my dads days while the odds are against him. We haven't given up hope and we pray everyday for his health . My dad is fighting for his life with whatever hes got .  And I also want to help my mom out as much as I possibly can with the medical bills she is receiving.  I've been thinking about doing a GoFund me since the beginning of my dads journey but I held back since my family and I never feel fully comfortable with idea of others giving any money just like that . But now that I understand and see how much all of this has made an impact financially and on my family , I now know that this is getting more serious than what we initially thought . We did not expect my dad to stay more than 60 days on ECMO treatment,  he is the longest patient known to stay on this treatment for this long .  The odds are against us  and I want to make the best out of my parents life while I'm able to. They have always provided and taken care of us with so much love , it's my turn to return that favor.  I work a minimum wage job and with that it's not enough to fully support my family . I thank you in advanced for taking the time to read this message and we would truly appreciate any contribution that you can provide.  God bless you all and thank you so much for reading my dads story and our situation .
https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/ecmo-support-may-save-lives-covid-19