Dear Family & Friends,
Asking for help is one of the hardest things to do, but sometimes is what we need to do…
I come to you during a very difficult time for my family. My brother Moises, who is only 54 years old, is in critical condition at the Punta Pacifica Hospital, in Panama City, Panama. He went to the ER on July 15 complaining of severe pain in his leg, as his toes were starting to turn purple. The doctors admitted him immediately and found blood clots in his iliac and femoral arteries. After a battery of test, they also found 7 obstructions in his heart and a mass in his colon. A large medical team is overseeing his case and they have sadly identified it as the most critical case in the hospital at this time. They have proceeded very carefully and in a tactical manner because multiple organs are compromised at this point. They started with stents in his affected hip artery to get blood flow to his leg. This saved his leg, but they still had to amputate 2 of his toes that were becoming necrotic. This was to be followed by open heart surgery and removal of the mass in the colon. However, the heart surgery kept getting postponed because his vitals were not right and there were signs of an infection spreading through his body. Further tests found that the mass in his colon was a tumor and the underlying cause for most of his problems. Also, bacteria had settled on his heart causing endocarditis, a dangerous infection of the inner lining of the heart. On August 3rd and after several weeks, the doctors were able to perform an excruciating 11-hour surgery that included replacement of two infected valves and 3 bypasses. Moises went into surgery with odds stacked against him, but he pulled through and is fighting for his life. Since his heart was not strong enough, he was connected to an ECMO machine to assist with the heart/lung function. The doctors attempted to disconnect him from the ECMO on August 8, but his heart could not keep up on its own, so they are keeping the machine in place. The road ahead is long, uncertain, and full of challenges. Moises remains in the ICU, sedated and unaware of his critical condition. Multiple surgeries will still be required.
As you can imagine, the medical bills keep mounting day after day and we are doing everything in our power to ensure Moises has the best care available. While Moises has health insurance, it has an exclusion for cardiovascular conditions because he had a heart attack in the past. Sadly, insurance companies in Panama can add pre-existing condition clauses to a health policy and exclude coverage.
There are 3 ways in which you can help:
- Make a donation. We are humbly asking for assistance to help relieve some of the financial strain that, unfortunately, is a tragic reality of intensive healthcare. Financial support in any amount will be greatly appreciated. Any amount will help us… no amount is small. I truly hope that together we can surpass the goal set here as the final bill will be much, much larger.
- Share this GoFundMe with your friends and family. The power of spreading this message can go a long way to help us reach our goal. Let’s harness the power of social media to spread this campaign and get more support.
- Pray… pray… pray. Our family is touched and appreciative by the outpour of community prayers and positive thoughts. We have a Psalms reading chain in WhatsApp; I will be glad to forward the group invite if you reach out to me using GoFundMe messaging.
For those of you who do not know my brother, Moises lives with the rest of my extended family in Panama. He is father to Camille, Alberto, and Michael.
If you would like more information, please send a message. Thank you for supporting Moises and our family through this very difficult journey.