Hi and thank you for reading Ethan’s story! I first met Ethan about 10 years ago. He became not just a good friend but a part of our family. I remember the first time we all went out; he said he'd never dated women, but his mama taught him to never let a lady pay. I have to tell you that in 10 years, he’s never let a lady pay! That’s Ethan, kind, generous, and always helping anybody that was in need. Now he needs that help, so if you can give $1, $5, or $20, it’s all appreciated. Ethan is a newlywed, married less than a year, with the expense of a new home and now no regular paycheck coming in. If you know Ethan, you know just how generous he is to all of those who know him and love him, and now it’s our turn to be generous back to him.

Here is Ethan’s story…

Ethan probably caught COVID at a New Year’s celebration and pneumonia around the same time.

- Went in the hospital (San Martin) about 1/11 for a week

- Came home for 2 days, then couldn’t breathe around midnight 1/20. Went by ambulance to Centennial Hills hospital.

- Had severe breathing distress 1/31 and had to be intubated (ventilator). Deep sedation and paralytics - did not even open his eyes for >1 week

- 2/7 transferred to Sunrise Hospital for ECMO evaluation

- 2/11 ECMO started and trach tube placed

Basically, the pneumonia (fluid in lungs) was so severe because it occurred at the same time as COVID and likely caused some long-term scarring to his lungs. This whole time we’ve been battling the fluid in the lungs and the inflammation it caused.

Ethan is now stable, but the challenge can be coming off of ECMO, which we can’t continue forever. His lungs will need to oxygenate and remove carbon dioxide from the blood on their own.

He currently has a tracheostomy and is still relying on the ventilator to help him breathe.

There will be a long rehabilitation process. He has lost basically all strength and will need long-term physical therapy and recovery. There are extensive costs associated with the massive hospital bills he’s already incurred from being inpatient for over 45 days, and he will need extensive rehab and therapy for months to come.