Tyler Fox Memorial Fund

On July 4th, Tyler was admitted to the hospital in Wilmington for what he believed to be complications of pneumonia. After two months of feeling ill and being treated for what was thought to be a severe and persistent case of bronchitis the developed into pneumonia by multiple physicians, he just wasn’t feeling better. In fact, he was feeling so bad he and Casey decided on morning of the 4ththat it was time they sought care from the emergency department. New Hanover emergency doctors and staff acted quickly and confirmed a diagnosis of pneumonia, but also found that his heart was severely weakened. From here, things progressed very quickly. He needed medicines to help reduce swelling and help his heart beat more efficiently. But Tyler’s heart was too weak to respond well to medical therapy. They decided he would need a pump placed in his heart and while it helped for a while, it still wasn’t enough and he needed to be placed on ECMO. It was soon determined he would need a higher level of care. New Hanover cardiologists and cardiac surgeons prepared us for the worst-case scenario – in order to live, Tyler would need a new heart. They made the decision to transfer Tyler to Duke University Hospital on July 7th. There, he went through days of testing and treatments. His condition began to slowly deteriorate until swift action was taken to surgically place a different device into this heart that would help his heart pump. At this time, his organs need to continue to recover before he can be placed on the transplant list as a top priority patient. This is a slow and difficult process and each day is like a balancing act to maintain stability.

            Tyler is an amazingly strong man. More than that, his heart may be physically weak, but he has one of the best ones of anyone we have ever known. He loves all things sports related – the Braves, the Panthers, and playing golf with his buds. He grew up loving the outdoors and spends every chance he gets exploring the beaches with his family or out on his kayaks with his girls. Tyler is an amazing artist, and more recently has taken up woodworking and can build just about anything you ask him to! Tyler is the type of friend that will tell you the truth, even if its not what you want to hear, tell you how stupid you are but still bail you out of jail, or wake up at 3 am to come jump your car when he has to work at 7 in the morning. Above all, he is an amazing husband to his lovely wife Casey, an amazing daddy to Audrey and Heather Katherine. His girls need their Daddy and Casey needs her husband.

            Please consider donating how ever much or little that you can to help this beautiful family during their darkest days. There will be ups and downs throughout this journey, but with our donations, we can at least know that they can focus on Tyler and his health while bringing peace of mind that their bills will be paid, and a roof continues to stay over their heads. ALL DONATIONS will be going DIRECTLY to Tyler’s family to cover expenses accrued while he fights for his life. We thank you for any support you’re able to give. Please share this page and help us reach our goal for them!

 

Organized by: Allie Cheshire, Brittney Moody, and Danielle Stogner