Help raise money for Chris Berends

I'm really hoping to get some money raised for a good friend of mine, Jordan Berends, daughter of Chris Berends, who was admitted into the hospital on October 31st, 2021 with Covid Pneumonia. I'll post the entire story below as I can. He is the father of Anthony Berends (31) Jordan Berends (28) Andrea Berends (21) and Preston Berends (17). This poor family has been through hell, with the loss of their mother and now father fighting for his life. Hospital bills, ambulance rides, and helicopter rides add up quick, especially when you're still paying regular bills on top of it. Chris's wife and kids have been with him every step of the way. This is great for Chris, as he needs all the love and support he can get right now, but due to this, hotel and food expenses are adding up, as well as very limited hours at their workplaces. Also with Chris being the sole supporter of the family, anything will help,

even a small amount is greatly appreciated.

Please donate.

On October 31st

Chris Berends, was admitted to the hospital with Covid and pneumonia. At the time he had a fever over 104 and his oxygen levels had dropped into the mid 80s. Throughout this last week, he remained stable in the 90s while on oxygen and we were told he should be able to come home by Monday or Tuesday. Well things took a turn for the worse and his oxygen levels started dropping again. He is currently being airlifted to Pierre, SD so he can be in an ICU with a pulmonary specialist.

November 8th

He is in critical condition, but is stable right now. His oxygen levels are remaining between 80%-90% while on a CPAP machine at 100%. They did another CT scan on his lungs today and they are full of infection and getting worse. We were told this afternoon that his condition could worsen at any moment. They have also said that he may need to be put on a ventilator.

November 10th

Chris had an x-ray done on his chest and they found out he has what is called a Pneumomediastinum, which is an air leak between his lungs and chest. The medical staff said this is severe and he is still in critical condition. Due to the severity of this condition, they made the decision to have my Chris airlifted to Sanford Medical Center and Hospital in Sioux Falls, so he could have a dedicated Pulmonologist that will team up with an Intensivist in the ICU.

November 12th

He’s no longer able to maintain his oxygen levels and they said he’s now critical and unstable. They gave him the option to go on the ventilator or to go on hospice and Chris said he’s not giving up yet and chose to go on the ventilator. He also made the decision to go peacefully if his heart should stop while on the ventilator.

November 13th

Chris was put into a medically induced coma and put on a ventilator at full capacity. They also did a CT scan on his lungs during the process and found two blood clots. They placed him on his stomach to allow his lungs to open up more and he remained at 95% oxygen. Throughout the night his oxygen levels went up to 98% and they decided to try weaning the ventilator down to 85% capacity. Chris's oxygen has remained stable at 94% with the ventilator at that capacity while also being on his back. They are happy with the improvement he’s showing and they will be putting him back on his stomach later this afternoon and are hoping his oxygen will continue to go up after that.

November 16th

His prognosis is not looking good because he is not showing the progress that he should be at this point. He’s considered critical and unstable again. He is still responding positively to being turned onto his stomach though, so that is giving us a lot of hope. They have turned his ventilator back up to full capacity, but they have said to not get discouraged by this because this can happen with Covid.

November 22nd

He started doing what they call an “air hunger” breath, which is basically gasping for air. It was causing his oxygen levels to decrease with the ventilator at 95% capacity, so they had to make the decision to put him back on the paralytics. This morning they confirmed that he has fibrosis in his lungs, which is scarring and stiffening. They said this is typically irreversible with Covid, but not always.