<div>This is the first post from our <a href="https://www.caringbridge.org/site/f8409c1f-ab93-11f0-b5aa-8bfb13840bb8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CaringBridge</a> :
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<div>If you are reading this, you know how special Kapil is and how loved he is by so many. We wanted to start this to ensure everyone has access to the information on his condition.
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<div>Over the summer, Kapil had been experiencing fevers, body aches, and was generally feeling unwell. Despite visits to multiple doctors, a cause for his illness was not found.
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<div>Early in September, Kapil worsened acutely. His fevers spiked and he became very ill. He was admitted to the hospital and the doctor determined that he had developed an infection that spread to one of the valves of his heart. On September 17th, he underwent surgery to have a mechanical heart valve placed. His recovery from this surgery was difficult and his case continued to be atypical, but he did go home on October 3rd.
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<div>On the 6th, he was readmitted due to high fevers and respiratory failure. He was in septic shock. His lungs were quite inflamed and he was diagnosed with pneumonia and he needed to be put on a ventilator to help him breathe.
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<div>The vent helped for a few days. He was fighting so hard and has been so brave and so strong. He even got up and walked while on the ventilator with the theme music from Rocky playing in the background!
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<div>He has experienced a couple of episodes of severe inflammation of his lungs. It is suspected that he has an unknown autoinflammatory disease underlying everything in combination with an unknown infection.
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<div>On October 14th, his condition worsened and the doctors did a special procedure to get a good look at his heart. They think that whatever happened the first time to cause his heart to be injured was happening again. This disease progression is extremely unusual and is poorly understood. He underwent a second open heart surgery on the 15th. He was on cardiac bypass while his heart was repaired again.
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<div>Cardiac bypass is a massive stressor to all of the internal organs. The surgery went well and the cardiac tissue was repaired and a new valve was placed, but Kapil's heart and lungs both require support. He is on ECMO and has a balloon pump to help let his heart and lungs rest and heal.
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<div>This morning we learned that Kapil's liver sustained significant injury because he was on cardiac bypass for several hours. His liver is not functioning. He is not eligible for a liver transplant due to the very complicated medical situation the rest of his body is in. At this point, doctors are watching his liver function very carefully. There is a small chance that his liver will heal, but the situation is very complex and he is in very critical condition. There are a lot of unknowns.
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<div>As you may know, Lauren is no longer working at the DOJ, and since Kapil has been ill, she has not been able to start a new job. Kapil would want his wife and sweet baby Ravi to be well cared for, and we hope you can help support them.
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<div>We, Lauren and Kapil's family, love them so much. Any help, whether financial or otherwise, is so very appreciated.
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Anonymous

Lauren Lewis

Tara Srujana Rangarajan

Peter Nason

Bilal Ahmad

Rachel Frydenberg

Hope Pitner

Elizabeth Villa

Taylor Skees

Aroon Vijaykar

Anastassia Kolosova

Benjamin Hyneck

Support for Kapil, Lauren, and Ravi

Support for Kapil, Lauren, and Ravi

Still $25,870 to go. Help us build momentum.