On July 16th, 2021 my 31 year old brother Vincent went to Lloydminster hospital very ill. He was dehydrated and his electrolytes were abnormal.

He was treated in hospital and was improving, until suddenly, he started to decline. He became drowsy, uncoordinated, and ultimately ended up intubated and rushed to Edmonton ICU on July 30th.

They originally thought he aspirated and had pneumonia. He was improving and as his oxygen support was weaned, they decided to turn off sedation and prepare to extubate (remove the breathing tube and allow him to breathe on his own). As the day progressed without sedation, Vince didn't wake up. He didn't fight the tube.

I knew something was not right.

I kept asking if they had looked at his brain. Finally, 3 days later, Vince had an MRI. The MRI revealed that Vince experienced something called osmotic demyelination in his brain. This happened because his sodium levels were increased too rapidly which caused a fluid shift and damage to the myelin sheath of his nerves. The damage occurred primarily in his brain stem which has affected all motor control, including his ability to breathe on his own. Vince was unable to move aside from opening his eyes and wiggling a thumb. The doctors gave him a 40% chance of improvement.

The next thing they said shattered our hearts.

They said they hope that Vince can wake up enough to tell them whether or not he wants to live like this.

Since the devastating news. Vince has shown his strength and determination. On August 4th, he went for surgery for a tracheostomy. He is now able to be on CPAP during the day but still requires the ventilator at night. He spends his days working so hard to regain strength and mobility in his arms and legs. He is unable to talk but can answer yes and no and is getting better at communicating every day.

His personality is returning. Yesterday he had his first smile! God is with him and giving him strength and for that we are so thankful. 

We are asking for any support to help Vince get the treatments he will need in order to improve, and for finances to be able to manage rehabilitation equipment and living expenses moving forward. We are so grateful for your support, and any little bit helps! Whether you are able to spare funds or not, we ask that you continue to pray hard for his recovery.

Updates on his condition will be shared as we are able to post them. Thank you in advance for any support you are able to give to help my brother battle through and have another chance at life!