Help Support Alden Graham in His Recovery

Molly Steenbruggen is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Jaclyn Sewell.

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As many friends and family already know, on April 30, 2021 Alden was rushed to the hospital for severe back pain and suffered a massive stroke within hours. He was immediately transferred to Tufts Medical Center where he stayed for the next 5 months. During this time, Alden was placed on Ecmo/RVAD life support in order to keep his heart pumping and his blood oxygenated. This is when doctors found blood clots throughout his entire body. Alden endured an open-heart surgery to close a hole in his heart and attempt to remove clots in his lungs. This surgery was delayed and complex because doctors needed to wait for the bleeding in his brain to stop and needed to ensure he was strong enough for surgery. Alden was in the hospital for 146 days, 102 of them on Ecmo/RVAD support, completely sedated. This time was filled with many complications including multiple collapsed lungs, clots causing difficulties with the Ecmo, and more. Miraculously, Alden survived and is on the long journey to recovery.

Alden is now on a central line pump of Veletri, deeming him ineligible to attend any inpatient rehab facility. He is doing PT, OT, and Speech therapy outpatient. Veletri is a medication for pulmonary hypertension that helps alleviate the strain his heart is under while trying to pump through many clots that had adhered to his arteries. Alden’s fiancé, Jackie, and his parents were trained at the hospital to manage his Veletri pump. One of them needs to be with him at all times because he is currently unable to operate the pump by himself due to his loss of fine motor skills in his left hand from the stroke. Once Alden is able to come off of the pump, his next step will be surgery on his fingers in his left hand to try to give him back functionality of that hand.

During his ongoing recovery, Alden has gotten significantly stronger and is making incredible progress. However, his fight for normalcy continues. Alden was employed by Raytheon at the time of the stroke and has not yet been able to return to work. Jackie and Alden wanted to avoid asking for help as long as they could. They were forced to sell Alden’s car and move back into Alden’s parents’ home. Their efforts to get disability assistance have been unfairly denied.

Jackie, Alden, and their loved ones are so grateful for the team at Tufts Medical Center and all their friends and family who have helped them through these difficult times. They sincerely appreciate all the love and support they have received from friends, family, and even the many strangers who came to their aid in their darkest times. So many people have asked how they can help, so I have decided to start this fundraiser to help relieve the financial hardship this past year has caused Jackie and Alden.

I cannot think of more deserving people of your support. Through all these hardships, Alden has remained strong-willed, optimistic, and unstoppable. His heroic fight has been fueled by the undying love and support from Jackie who never left his side. When Alden obtained a speech valve after months of sedation, his first request was to ask Jackie’s parents for their blessing for her hand in marriage. Alden proposed in his hospital bed knowing that he would not let his medical conditions prevent him marrying the love of his life. Jackie and Alden show love in its rarest and truest form.

Please consider donating whatever you can to help these amazing people who have shown inspiring strength and optimism throughout this uncertain and challenging year. Your love and support are so deeply appreciated.

August 2021: After Coming Off ECMO