Help Joie Heal: From Near-Death to a New Beginning

On July 11th, my wife Joie nearly lost her life.

Due to a reaction to her medication, Joie suffered a severe seizure that nearly stopped her breathing entirely. When I found her, she had already been without oxygen for some time. She was rushed by helicopter to Riverside and fell into a coma. For days, we watched as her organs began to fail—her kidneys giving out, her heart struggling, machines breathing for her, and her life hanging in the balance.

It was the darkest moment of my life.

But then… something incredible happened.

Joie woke up.

She is still the same person. She smiles. She talks. She remembers everything. She is now breathing on her own. Her heart is getting strong. She’s fighting like hell—and winning.

Where We Are Now

Joie is currently in a physical rehabilitation hospital, working hard every day to regain strength and independence. She still can’t walk due to nerve damage and tingling in her feet, and her kidneys slowly recovering. But she’s improving—slowly, surely, and with incredible spirit.

We’re not out of the woods, but we’re moving forward. Every little victory feels like a miracle.

How This Has Affected Us

This crisis has reshaped every part of our lives.

Over the last several weeks, I’ve spent countless hour by Joie’s side—traveling back and forth between hospitals in Riverside and now Bakersfield, managing unexpected expenses, sleeping in unfamiliar places, and trying to be strong for her. The financial toll has been immense. Between medical bills, rehabilitation costs, dialysis treatments, and the constant travel, we are stretched thin.

We are asking for help—not just for Joie’s care, but to hold the pieces of our lives together while she heals.

How You Can Support

Donate — Any amount truly helps. Your generosity will go directly toward Joie’s recovery: her medical expenses, physical therapy, dialysis, and our travel and lodging as we fight through this together.

Share — Help us spread the word by sharing this page.

Send Love — If you’d like to send Joie a message, you can reach out to me (Dane), and I’ll make sure she gets it when she’s ready. Right now, she’s focused entirely on healing.

This has been the most traumatic experience of our lives—but it’s also shown us just how deep love and community can run. I never imagined I’d face something like this at our age, but here we are: still standing, still fighting, and still full of hope.

If you take anything from our story, let it be this:

Tell the people you love that you love them—every chance you get.

Thank you for being part of our support system. Thank you for caring about Joie. Thank you for helping us get through this.

With love,

Dane