Team Vandenberg Miracle Man
Donation protected
Monday, January 9th 2017 started like any normal day for Craig. He woke up, said good morning to his beautiful wife, Sheryl and loved on their two wonderful children, Josalyn, 9 and Graham, 7. He then prepared for his work day.
A few months ago Craig and his partner John embarked on a courageous journey of starting a new insurance business, and as a result does not yet have medical coverage through the business.
At 10:50, he had parked the car and was walking back to his office door when he suffered a massive cardiac arrest.
This was not known at the time and his assistant found him unresponsive outside the office door. 911 were immediately called. When they arrived, Craig had been without oxygen for 9-11 minutes. Instantly, the medical team began to respond. Once at the Emergency Room the ER physician worked on reviving Craig for over 90 minutes. The ER doctor came out and said there was nothing more to do, Sheryl, Adele, and Frik begged him to try again, her and his mom, Adele praying all the way, no one was giving up on him. Miraculously, a faint heartbeat was detected and they were able to move him to the ICU. Craig had to be intubated, he was extremely critical, the team needed to get him stable and it seemed the likely option was to attempt to stabilize and medivac to Tampa General for a Heart transplant. Some very tough and quick decisions needed to be made by Sheryl and Craig’s parent’s Frik and Adele. A balloon pump was inserted via the groin in the aorta next to the heart which inflates and deflates as it senses the heart contracting, pushing on it to help the heart pump a little stronger.
His sister, Lizanne who now lives in California got on a plane and Marty, Sheryl’s brother flew in from Atlanta.
We all began to pray, and asked our family and dear friends to join with us. This set a catalyst of prayer circles all through the United States and several countries around the world.
The series of events following are nothing short of miraculous, the Healthpark medical team are calling him the “Miracle Man”.
His heart, lungs, kidneys were all extremely weak and the Medical team informed the family that the next 24 hours were critical.
While Craig remains in the Intensive Care Unit, the improvements he’s made have been remarkable.
We are on day 4 and Craig is now breathing on his own, the balloon has been removed and his heart function is thought to be close to being back to his baseline. Craig has a pre-existing Heart condition that was detected at age 19. He had a pacemaker inserted at the time and has lead a very healthy life. 4 years ago he underwent open heart surgery up at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to repair one of his heart valves.
There were major complications after surgery and God was just as faithful as He is now. God brought him through that trauma but it left Craig and Sheryl with huge medical bills that they are currently still paying.
Right now Thursday, January 13th, 2017 at 11am, Craig is without the need of artificial breathing, he is receiving oxygen only through a nasal cannula his heart function and blood pressure are steady. He is able to follow commands and is able to smile and communicate with us on a basic level. He is working with Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy and has been able to even chew on some ice chips making him very happy. There is so much more we could say, but we are humbled and grateful for God’s mercy. Please continue your prayers and support; there is a long road ahead.
The family is starting this GoFundMe page to raise funds to cover the extreme medical expenses that will be self-funded by Team Vandenberg. We are hoping and praying for your financial support via a donation to help cover these costs, which could eventually include a complete heart transplant. Any amount you can give would be greatly appreciated!!
A few months ago Craig and his partner John embarked on a courageous journey of starting a new insurance business, and as a result does not yet have medical coverage through the business.
At 10:50, he had parked the car and was walking back to his office door when he suffered a massive cardiac arrest.
This was not known at the time and his assistant found him unresponsive outside the office door. 911 were immediately called. When they arrived, Craig had been without oxygen for 9-11 minutes. Instantly, the medical team began to respond. Once at the Emergency Room the ER physician worked on reviving Craig for over 90 minutes. The ER doctor came out and said there was nothing more to do, Sheryl, Adele, and Frik begged him to try again, her and his mom, Adele praying all the way, no one was giving up on him. Miraculously, a faint heartbeat was detected and they were able to move him to the ICU. Craig had to be intubated, he was extremely critical, the team needed to get him stable and it seemed the likely option was to attempt to stabilize and medivac to Tampa General for a Heart transplant. Some very tough and quick decisions needed to be made by Sheryl and Craig’s parent’s Frik and Adele. A balloon pump was inserted via the groin in the aorta next to the heart which inflates and deflates as it senses the heart contracting, pushing on it to help the heart pump a little stronger.
His sister, Lizanne who now lives in California got on a plane and Marty, Sheryl’s brother flew in from Atlanta.
We all began to pray, and asked our family and dear friends to join with us. This set a catalyst of prayer circles all through the United States and several countries around the world.
The series of events following are nothing short of miraculous, the Healthpark medical team are calling him the “Miracle Man”.
His heart, lungs, kidneys were all extremely weak and the Medical team informed the family that the next 24 hours were critical.
While Craig remains in the Intensive Care Unit, the improvements he’s made have been remarkable.
We are on day 4 and Craig is now breathing on his own, the balloon has been removed and his heart function is thought to be close to being back to his baseline. Craig has a pre-existing Heart condition that was detected at age 19. He had a pacemaker inserted at the time and has lead a very healthy life. 4 years ago he underwent open heart surgery up at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to repair one of his heart valves.
There were major complications after surgery and God was just as faithful as He is now. God brought him through that trauma but it left Craig and Sheryl with huge medical bills that they are currently still paying.
Right now Thursday, January 13th, 2017 at 11am, Craig is without the need of artificial breathing, he is receiving oxygen only through a nasal cannula his heart function and blood pressure are steady. He is able to follow commands and is able to smile and communicate with us on a basic level. He is working with Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy and has been able to even chew on some ice chips making him very happy. There is so much more we could say, but we are humbled and grateful for God’s mercy. Please continue your prayers and support; there is a long road ahead.
The family is starting this GoFundMe page to raise funds to cover the extreme medical expenses that will be self-funded by Team Vandenberg. We are hoping and praying for your financial support via a donation to help cover these costs, which could eventually include a complete heart transplant. Any amount you can give would be greatly appreciated!!
Organizer and beneficiary
Sheryl Pugh Vandenberg
Organizer
Fort Myers, FL
Adele Van den Berg
Beneficiary