Jon Aquino's Road to Recovery

On August 25, 2021, COVID nurse, husband and father, Jon Aquino, was airlifted to Cooper hospital with a high fever while vacationing with his family at the Jersey shore.  Jon was diagnosed with strep meningitis that had led to septic shock. He had a brain bleed, was in liver and kidney failure, and had to be intubated and sedated. On September 2, Jon regained consciousness, but his journey was not over. As a result of the sepsis, BOTH of his hands AND feet had turned black and needed to be amputated.  On September 18th, Jon underwent surgery to have his hands amputated. Just four days later, he was back in surgery to have his feet amputated.   Presently, Jon’s acute kidney failure persists, though doctors are confident they will heal in time. As a quadruple amputee, Jon now faces innumerable hurdles.

Prior to his illness, Jon had been working as a nurse at Jefferson Stratford Hospital in New Jersey.   In March 2020, Jon’s unit became a COVID unit. Jon directly cared for COVID patients, and for months would come home after work, change in the garage, bleach wipe his clothes, put his clothes directly into the washer, and then shower before hugging his young daughter and then-pregnant wife Kay, who is also a registered nurse (they met in nursing school).

According to his coworkers, “Jon is an incredible nurse who is admired by all his peers, always puts his patients first, and always looks out for everyone on the floor.”  Jon was nominated by his peers as a March of Dimes Nurse of the Year in 2015. He then became nurse manager of the same unit later in 2015. This year, Jon was nominated for the Beth Petrakis award for being an excellent teammate who gives great care to his patients.

Financial Need

The Aquino’s face many challenges ahead.  As friends of the Aquino’s we are asking for $1,000,000 in financial support to help reach the following goals:

1. Pay for hand replacement surgery:  Jon has the opportunity to have a life transformative hand replacement surgery by Dr. Levin of the University of Pennsylvania, one of the few doctors in the world that performs this cutting edge procedure.  Unfortunately, insurance companies do not cover this procedure so all costs would be out-of-pocket.  Please watch this video to learn more about this amazing opportunity: https://youtu.be/YhquPBYcTVQ
2. Pay hospital bills:  Jon was airlifted to the nearest critical care hospital in August, and continues to be hospitalized. Medical bills are mounting.  Jon will of course need rehab, prosthetic legs, and many other medical services in the years ahead.  There is so much uncertainty at the moment about what will be covered by insurance, and if Jon will continue to be covered by insurance if he has to stop working.
3. Retrofit the Aquino home to accommodate Jon’s disability:  many changes and modifications to the Aquino home will be required to support Jon, including but not limited to installing a larger shower to accommodate a wheelchair and/or caregiver (which will then require relocating the washer and dryer to the basement), building an entrance ramp to the home, installing voice-activated and other assistive technologies.
4. Allow Kay and Jon at least two years to adjust to changes without worrying about having two incomes:  Kay will need to manage Jon’s care and continue the care of their two very young children (ages 4 years and 5 months). Obviously Jon cannot resume his work as a nurse at this time. Kay will be able to go back to work once Jon is moving along with his rehab but there is so much uncertainty revolving around if and when Jon will be able to work again. Due to physical limitations, Jon may need training and education in a new field or role when he is able to return to work down the road. 
5. Provide mental health counseling for Jon, Kay, and the girls:  this is an enormous change for each member of the Aquino family that includes many devastating losses.  Each member would benefit from therapy to help process these changes and carve out a new path forward.
 
Call to Action

We know a million dollars is a big ask, AND we know of the generous spirit of so many of our fellow humans.  Let’s collectively give back to Jon who selflessly dedicated himself to his patients for so many years, most recently risking his life for his patients with severe COVID. Let’s give this family so much support that money is no longer one of their stressors and they can focus on healing and moving forward together.  Thank you in advance to everyone; all donations big and small make a difference! 100% of donations will go to the Aquino family.