Jeremy’s Heart Stopped, But His Bills Didn’t

Hi, we are Chris and Lisa Boyd from the Grand Rapids, MI area. We are raising funds to support our nephew, Jeremy Wildfong, also from the Grand Rapids, MI area. Jeremy's parents are both disabled, and his mom is in a long-term care facility. We are stepping in to help Jeremy manage his finances and expenses. The funds collected will be used to pay Jeremy's monthly bills and medical expenses directly. Our goal is to cover expenses for the three to four months that doctors say he needs to recover.

Jeremy, a CNA at Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, plans to continue his education in healthcare. Jeremy enjoys gathering patients assigned to him together to play cards. He is quick to make friends with others and values time spent with them. Jeremy loves his friends, family, and family dog, Echo, a soulful chocolate lab. He enjoys all things outdoors, especially hunting, fishing and sitting around a campfire.

On Sunday, August 28, Jeremy (22 years old) was on a boat fishing with his best friend, Brian. Jeremy began experiencing cardiac/stroke symptoms. Things escalated quickly as they got off the lake when Jeremy fell and hit his head. Brian, who had been pulling the boat out of the water at the time, raced to Jeremy and found that he was not breathing and had no pulse. As Brian began the CPR process, Jeremy started breathing and regained consciousness. Jeremy was taken by ambulance to the ER, where the rest of the story unfolds.

After numerous tests and images of Jeremy’s heart, lungs, and legs, it was determined that Jeremy had suffered a pulmonary embolism. Several clots were found in his legs and lungs. Jeremy underwent a four-hour surgery to remove about 60% of the blood clots in his lungs, including two golf ball-sized clots. A filter was inserted to prevent additional blood clots from moving from his legs to his lungs.

After a brief recovery, Jeremy was released by his doctors to return to work without restrictions. On his first day back, he experienced trouble breathing, dizziness and overall not feeling well. When done with his shift, Jeremy felt a little better. The next day at work, he experienced the symptoms again after 90 minutes on the job. Jeremy sought medical attention and was readmitted to the hospital for three days. Due to the remaining clots that doctors could not remove initially, Jeremy was told he will experience these stroke warning symptoms with any exertion for three to four months. Unfortunately, the nature of his job involves a lot of exertion, so it is not likely that he can continue working in his current position.

So, this situation leaves Jeremy with no income and looking for another job without any physical exertion required. He is currently looking for lightweight odd jobs like power washing and leaf blowing. We all know it can take time to obtain a new job. However, Jeremy has no source of income until he returns to work somewhere.