John Dugan
Donation protected
As John’s friends and family know, he is a self-employed contractor primarily working in the residential construction industry. In his line of work, there are plenty of "opportunities" to be injured while working with tools or in high places.
John's accident didn't happen while on the job though. Amazingly, the neck injury that has left him with partial paralysis in his right arm and hand and diminished use of his right leg happened after a fall while getting out of bed.
John had a cramp in his leg and as he proceeded to get out of bed, he fell forward, hitting his face and head on a metal lampstand, landing with his neck hyperextended backward. As he lay on the floor bleeding, he realized that he was unable to get up and that he couldn't call out for help.
Oddly enough, it was the behavior of their cat that alerted John's daughter Chelsea, and she found him.
At this juncture, John was transported to Lehigh Valley Pocono Medical Center. After an initial evaluation, it was determined that his injury was too severe to be treated at this facility and was transported to Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest in Allentown and admitted to the trauma care unit.
Subsequently, the team of surgeons diagnosed the injury as Central Cord Syndrome. For an in depth description and further information go to the following link ~
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_cord_syndrome
The head surgeon advised John and his wife that he should immediately undergo surgery on his neck to try to stabilize the vertebrae by surgically inserting two steel pins. The purpose for this procedure would be to prevent further damage to the already injured spinal cord but not necessarily improve any damage that had already been incurred as a result of the fall.
Surgery was scheduled for Sunday afternoon, July 15th. John was taken down to be prepped for surgery and while discussing what was going to take place, the anesthesiologist noticed a problem with John’s blood work. In brief, the platelet count of a healthy individual is in the range of 150,000 to 450,000 per cubic millimeters, and John’s count was at about 50,000 per cubic millimeter.
For a better understanding of the import of this situation, go to the following link ~
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platelet
After a lengthy consultation among the surgical team, the head surgeon told John that he would not perform the surgery at this time due to the unsafe levels of his platelets. Though he felt they could control the bleeding during surgery, his reluctance was due in part to the inability to control the bleeding post surgery.
The next few days consisted of more tests to try to determine the cause of such a low platelet count. Unfortunately, what they found is that John has a spot of cirrhosis of the liver, a swollen spleen, and Hepatitis C, which are all contributing factors to the low platelet count.
Though John will still need neck surgery, it has been determined that the course of action at this time will be for John to perform out-patient therapy in an attempt to regain some mobility in his affected limbs. In the mean-time, the doctors will try to determine how to increase his platelet levels so that it will allow for surgery in the future.
The prognosis for John’s recovery in the near future is vague at best. Needless to say, he is unable to work at all, therefore, unable to provide for himself or his family.
If you know John, he’s not one to take this lying down and certainly not one to ask for handouts. Having said that, he’s at the mercy of the good Lord and his friends and family at this juncture in his life. Whether or not his situation will improve over the next 6 months to a year is unknown, and John could use a little help.
Thanks in advance for your kind consideration.
John's accident didn't happen while on the job though. Amazingly, the neck injury that has left him with partial paralysis in his right arm and hand and diminished use of his right leg happened after a fall while getting out of bed.
John had a cramp in his leg and as he proceeded to get out of bed, he fell forward, hitting his face and head on a metal lampstand, landing with his neck hyperextended backward. As he lay on the floor bleeding, he realized that he was unable to get up and that he couldn't call out for help.
Oddly enough, it was the behavior of their cat that alerted John's daughter Chelsea, and she found him.
At this juncture, John was transported to Lehigh Valley Pocono Medical Center. After an initial evaluation, it was determined that his injury was too severe to be treated at this facility and was transported to Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest in Allentown and admitted to the trauma care unit.
Subsequently, the team of surgeons diagnosed the injury as Central Cord Syndrome. For an in depth description and further information go to the following link ~
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_cord_syndrome
The head surgeon advised John and his wife that he should immediately undergo surgery on his neck to try to stabilize the vertebrae by surgically inserting two steel pins. The purpose for this procedure would be to prevent further damage to the already injured spinal cord but not necessarily improve any damage that had already been incurred as a result of the fall.
Surgery was scheduled for Sunday afternoon, July 15th. John was taken down to be prepped for surgery and while discussing what was going to take place, the anesthesiologist noticed a problem with John’s blood work. In brief, the platelet count of a healthy individual is in the range of 150,000 to 450,000 per cubic millimeters, and John’s count was at about 50,000 per cubic millimeter.
For a better understanding of the import of this situation, go to the following link ~
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platelet
After a lengthy consultation among the surgical team, the head surgeon told John that he would not perform the surgery at this time due to the unsafe levels of his platelets. Though he felt they could control the bleeding during surgery, his reluctance was due in part to the inability to control the bleeding post surgery.
The next few days consisted of more tests to try to determine the cause of such a low platelet count. Unfortunately, what they found is that John has a spot of cirrhosis of the liver, a swollen spleen, and Hepatitis C, which are all contributing factors to the low platelet count.
Though John will still need neck surgery, it has been determined that the course of action at this time will be for John to perform out-patient therapy in an attempt to regain some mobility in his affected limbs. In the mean-time, the doctors will try to determine how to increase his platelet levels so that it will allow for surgery in the future.
The prognosis for John’s recovery in the near future is vague at best. Needless to say, he is unable to work at all, therefore, unable to provide for himself or his family.
If you know John, he’s not one to take this lying down and certainly not one to ask for handouts. Having said that, he’s at the mercy of the good Lord and his friends and family at this juncture in his life. Whether or not his situation will improve over the next 6 months to a year is unknown, and John could use a little help.
Thanks in advance for your kind consideration.
Organizer
Gordon Dugan
Organizer
Stroudsburg, PA
