Jake Gonzales Heart Transplant
Donation protected
Jake Gonzales at the beginning of June noticed that he was having trouble breathing and keeping his energy level up. On June 17th he was admitted to University Hospital in Columbia, MO with a heart condition: myocarditis. After one week in Columbia, Jake quickly declined and went into complete heart and respiratory failure and had to be life-flighted to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. During his nearly six weeks in the Cardiac ICU Jake endured a total thirteen surgeries: including five open heart surgeries, four surgeries on his femoral arteries in his groins and a few others to deal with complications due to multiple organ failure. After many failed attempts to stabilize him along with his own heart, the surgeons resorted to implanting an electronic heart pump known as a LVAD (Left Ventricular Assisting Device) in his heart. After a couple weeks this surgery proved successful in stabilizing and saving Jake's life.
At the end of July after almost seven weeks of sedated they began to wean sedation and wake Jake up. At the beginning of August he began to come to and started the process of recovery. After Jakes tracheostomy was removed and he learned to breathe on his own we discovered that Jake had suffered brain damage to his cerebellum along with severe nerve damage.
At the end of August, Jake was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital in St Louis where he is now learning to regain function of his hands and speech along with the hopes of one day being able to sit up, stand, and eventually walk again. The hopes are with intensive rehabilitation over the next year he can be ready for a heart transplant.
Ali, his wife has been caring for Jake and their daughter Eden (age 1) 24/7. Due to the fact that Jake requires assistance with daily activities at this point: neither one of them know when they will be able to return to work and in the meantime need help to pay for a move to Chicago for a heart transplant, an apartment in Chicago, maintain health insurance, medications and medical bills as they are currently STILL (as of Decemeber 2016) in $40,000 of medical debt from Jake's first hospitalization.
Please give anything you can to help us reach the $50,000 goal!
At the end of July after almost seven weeks of sedated they began to wean sedation and wake Jake up. At the beginning of August he began to come to and started the process of recovery. After Jakes tracheostomy was removed and he learned to breathe on his own we discovered that Jake had suffered brain damage to his cerebellum along with severe nerve damage.
At the end of August, Jake was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital in St Louis where he is now learning to regain function of his hands and speech along with the hopes of one day being able to sit up, stand, and eventually walk again. The hopes are with intensive rehabilitation over the next year he can be ready for a heart transplant.
Ali, his wife has been caring for Jake and their daughter Eden (age 1) 24/7. Due to the fact that Jake requires assistance with daily activities at this point: neither one of them know when they will be able to return to work and in the meantime need help to pay for a move to Chicago for a heart transplant, an apartment in Chicago, maintain health insurance, medications and medical bills as they are currently STILL (as of Decemeber 2016) in $40,000 of medical debt from Jake's first hospitalization.
Please give anything you can to help us reach the $50,000 goal!
Organizer
Jacob Luis Gonzales
Organizer
Columbia, MO
