Update 3/2/2026-

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who has prayed, donated, shared our page. Your efforts are appreciated so deeply. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Today, I want to update you on Don's condition. As of last week when we went to an appointment for an MRI, the bleeding in his brain has subsided. His brain is damaged on both sides and he has some issues, but he is doing OK. Tomorrow he has a cath (angiogram) test to his heart procedure. They are going to check his heart for blockages and if he has any, a stent would be placed in the heart and stay there permanently. The surgeon is requiring these tests and wants to feel comfortable in performing the surgery. These 2 tests are procedures he needs to get done prior to surgery. We are scheduled for open heart surgery on 3/12/2026. The surgery will take approximately 4 hours. He will be intubated and after surgery, he will be transferred to ICU for critical care. As he slowly progresses and comes out of surgery, he will then be transferred to a regular room after ICU. We were informed that he will need physical, occupational and home health therapies along with outpatient cardiac therapy. Recovery time is approximately 6 weeks but we don't know for sure as it depends on the person. Labs are looking better, infection is still in his heart valves (2), but the infusion treatments we do every day at the hospital are working to keep it at bay. He is still not in the clear until surgery. At the moment, I am keeping him away from people as he cannot get sick because if he were to get sick, the surgery would be delayed and this can cause more complications as the surgery needs to be done ASAP. If you would like to visit Don at the hospital, please get in touch with me and once he is out of ICU, we can coordinate and you may see how he is doing. I will keep this page updated as soon as I can. Thank you.

Update 1/19-

I apologize for the late update. As you can imagine, things have been more than hectic.

Don has been discharged and is back at home under work and life restrictions and is continuing his antibiotic and medications treatment in preparation for the surgery. Currently, he and I are uninsured and having to pay for medical expenses out of pocket with your generous donations. Don has been scheduled for the next 6 weeks at least to go into an infusion clinic and have his antibiotic treatment inserted in a cartridge attached to a pump dispensing the medication constantly 24/7 through a PICC line that runs through his arm and is placed right above the heart dispensing the medication. We have to consistently report to the infusion clinic to switch out the cartridge with new antibiotics so that the antibiotics run continuously 24/7. The hope is that the strong antibiotics will keep the staph infection at bay until he receives his surgery in about 6 weeks. He still has pneumonia and the antibiotics with breathing exercises through tools given to us in the hospital should help. However, the pneumonia is also in every lobe of his lungs. He is on several medications as well, including a medication that prevents clots for possible additional strokes. He needs surgery to replace at least 1 heart valve but possibly 2 since they have seen some vegetation of the staph infection on the 2nd valve. The surgery is non negotiable and it is just a matter of when he can recover enough from the infection in order to support the surgery and have the best outcome. It is a delicate balance ensuring to have the infection gone as much as possible and the risk of waiting longer to control the infection and risking having strokes and other complications.

We want to thank you for your generous donations, all of the kind and generous people that have shared our GoFundMe page, as well as your support, thoughts and prayers. Anything and everything helps and is greatly appreciated. We're not out of the woods yet, and from the bottom of our hearts, we will get through this with your help and support.

Update as of 1/9-

As you can imagine, I am exhausted and devastated. My husband currently has staph attached to a valve in his heart. He is still septic. He was getting better, but now he has developed pneumonia. He has also had several strokes. At the moment, he is still in ICU. He needs open heart surgery to replace the valve as the valve is leaking, too.

While waiting for surgery, he is at risk for additional strokes. This has been the worst experience of our lives. While there is a light where his vitals are stable, his insides are not. I humbly wanted to provide you with an update, and I want to thank everyone who has donated from the bottom of my heart.

Update- my husband had a stroke today. Additionally, the infection spreadto his heart. I'mdevastated. If you can spare some funds, please donate. We desperately need your help.

Hello. My name is Yami and the person in the picture is my husband Don. He's currently hospitalized with meningitis and a staff infection. The meningitis has swollen and inflamed his membrane surrounding the brain altering his state of mind. The staph infection is in his blood, making him septic. He's going to be hospitalized for quite some time with not being able to work. This is terrible for quite the obvious reasons as I love him with all my being. We currently live in Colorado by ourselves with no family to support us here. Financially, my husband is the sole bread winner. Without his income, we are left homeless. I normally don't ask for help, but today I am asking if you could help us by donating funds to our cause. Your funds will help us with our monthly bills while he is out of work recuperating and will also go towards the tremendous medical bill that I see coming. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.