John Paterno Peper’s Recovery Funds

My nephew Johnnie has been living with ulcerative colitis for the past several years.  This illness led him to eventually require surgery to remove the damaged intestines.   After that surgery he was able to finally live without most of the daily symptoms of the UC.   With the extensive surgery and hospitalizations he acquired medical bills that no 18 year old should have as they begin their adult life.   A few days ago, he developed a bowel obstruction ( the third in the past 3 months).   He was hospitalized and unfortunately required emergent surgery.   There were complications during surgery and we almost lost him.   He required cardiac rescusitation and his family sat vigil the first few hours post operatively with the doctor admitting he wasn’t sure if Johnnie would survive.   You can only imagine the emotions and stress his family has gone through and continue to go through during this time.   Johnnie requires additional surgery but is not stable enough yet to go back into surgery.   He had shown positive improvements slowly each day but remains critical in intensive care on a ventilator due to the surgical complications he experienced.    Johnnie has medical insurance as he did with his previous surgeries but with high deductibles and a remaining percentage of the entire medical bills his responsibilities will undoubtedly acquire outrageous medical bills once this whole ordeal is over with.   Johnnie is now 21, a college student and just one of the best people you’ll ever know.   As his aunt, I have seen him deal with and suffer with medical problems since he was 11.   His condition even cost him to give up on his life long dream of being a Marine.   Now we just want him to recovery and heal and begin living the best life he can without mounting medical bills.   Thank you for any contributions.   Every bit will help.