McCausland Family
Donation protected
I know so many of you have reached out and asked how you can help Julie and their family as they walk this difficult and lengthy journey. She really hasn’t been sure how to accept a lot of help thus far. So, I have created this page as a way for friends and family to be able to easily bless them if they feel led, but don’t know how. We don’t know what medical and possible other expenses they may incur just yet. Although this page asks for one, there is not really a set financial “goal,” I just wanted to offer a space for anyone feeling led to bless them, but don’t know how. I know it will be appreciated, but if you feel led in another way, that’s okay too. I know Julie has also appreciated the kind words, prayers, and verses that have been sent to her. A meal train will probably be very helpful when David comes home. She would like him to be able to enjoy and appreciate the meals that have been offered, and have one less thing as she cares for him, but this will come in time. We will be happy if he’s able to be home by Christmas. Thank you all so much for your love, support, and especially prayers. It has meant a lot to the McCausland family, and a lot to me as her mom. Please see the full story with updates below.
Monday night (11/16/2020), David started feeling off. He had heaviness in his chest and a small, dry cough. We assumed it was either stress, or we were starting with the whole COVID nonsense. Tuesday morning he was feeling much worse so he went to get tested. The rapid was negative, so he went to his primary doctor for a check up. The whirlwind starts here. His doctor was very concerned about his heart. Long story short, he was at Arnot ER all day and getting progressively worse. I could write a book about what a truly awful experience we had at Arnot, but I won’t do that here. He was having congestive heart failure symptoms and was admitted to the ICU. He was quickly placed on a ventilator. He has been sedated on a ventilator ever since. I have not been able to see or communicate with him because of the strict COVID rules here about visitors and that has made advocating for him a complete nightmare. Last night, (praise the Lord) he was FINALLY air lifted to Strong in Rochester and they continue to work hard on pin pointing the problem. I feel like he is in such good hands now. The doctors at Strong have been amazing. The only thing they know for sure is that he is having “significant mitro valve regurgitation.”
11/21/2020-I’m sorry it has taken so long to update everyone. It’s been a long day. Surgery was supposed to be 3-4 hours and ended up being closer to 7! I’m also trying to find words to consolidate the overwhelming amount of information that has been coming at me. Long story short, David is out of surgery and the valve repair seems to have been successful (praise)! However, because of the things I mentioned in my last update that have made him quite vulnerable going into surgery, to say that his lungs have taken a huge hit from his condition is an understatement. Unfortunately, they have had to put him on life support due to lung failure; therefore, his condition is still critical, and right now his prognosis is still hour by hour.
11/25/2020-I have news to shout from a mountain top.....I am at the hospital with David for my last chance to visit before it goes orange and he is staring to wake up! Thank you Jesus!!!! I will share more when I can. He is still on the ventilator and we have a long road ahead, but I’m so filed with hope.
11/26/2020- Brief Medical Update: Doctors remind me that we are not quite “out of the woods.” Lungs are improved, but he hasn’t tolerated coming off the ventilator just yet. Kidney function is improved, and if he continues that trend we are hoping there’s no need for dialysis. Fever and possible infection are being closely monitored. The biggest thing we are needing to see improve is the brain function. There are a lot of big words here, but basically, although he is MUCH more awake, he has been completely off sedation for 4 days and is not fully awake. There’s a lot that could be causing this...some are scary, some are quite simple and will just require more time.
Poor David has been on numerous different life support systems this past week. At one point, I was reminded by his cardiac surgeon that he was “as near to death as a person can be, so the recovery is going to be very long.” (He meant that as reassurance, but yikes!) Unfortunately, the hospital is now in orange phase, so I will no longer be able to visit. For those of you who don’t know what that means, it is re-assessed every 2 weeks, so (sadly) I honestly don’t anticipate being able to visit him at all during his hospital recovery. (Our county here has been in orange for 3-4 weeks already.) I am so grateful for today though.
11/27/2020- Huge praise!! He is off the ventilator!! Oh, thank you God!
11/28/2020- I have a PRAISE instead of just a prayer request! David is not only off ALL the life supports (he has been on numerous things that have kept him alive, it’s amazing what they can do), he is awake and conversational and doing VERY well all things considered. He is still trying to piece things together mentally, but I feel like things seem to be FINALLY headed in the right direction. They keep reminding me there will be road bumps, but this feels like a miracle to me — there have been so many points these past 2 weeks that I’ve been told straight up by different doctors that they were not sure he was going to make it. I loved that they were honest and didn’t sugar coat things, but it has been 2 weeks of the most intense emotions I’ve ever experienced, yet, strangely, a time I’ve never been closer to God. I am so humbled by and grateful for all of you who fervently prayed with us, sent a note of encouragement or a verse, or dropped off food or something to cheer us.
11/28/2020 PM: David is currently still on the cardiac ICU at Strong, but is making slow but steady improvements. They continue to try to clear the fluid on his lungs, resume all organs to normal functioning, and while the mental clarity is much better, he still has some confusion that they are watching.
Monday night (11/16/2020), David started feeling off. He had heaviness in his chest and a small, dry cough. We assumed it was either stress, or we were starting with the whole COVID nonsense. Tuesday morning he was feeling much worse so he went to get tested. The rapid was negative, so he went to his primary doctor for a check up. The whirlwind starts here. His doctor was very concerned about his heart. Long story short, he was at Arnot ER all day and getting progressively worse. I could write a book about what a truly awful experience we had at Arnot, but I won’t do that here. He was having congestive heart failure symptoms and was admitted to the ICU. He was quickly placed on a ventilator. He has been sedated on a ventilator ever since. I have not been able to see or communicate with him because of the strict COVID rules here about visitors and that has made advocating for him a complete nightmare. Last night, (praise the Lord) he was FINALLY air lifted to Strong in Rochester and they continue to work hard on pin pointing the problem. I feel like he is in such good hands now. The doctors at Strong have been amazing. The only thing they know for sure is that he is having “significant mitro valve regurgitation.”
11/21/2020-I’m sorry it has taken so long to update everyone. It’s been a long day. Surgery was supposed to be 3-4 hours and ended up being closer to 7! I’m also trying to find words to consolidate the overwhelming amount of information that has been coming at me. Long story short, David is out of surgery and the valve repair seems to have been successful (praise)! However, because of the things I mentioned in my last update that have made him quite vulnerable going into surgery, to say that his lungs have taken a huge hit from his condition is an understatement. Unfortunately, they have had to put him on life support due to lung failure; therefore, his condition is still critical, and right now his prognosis is still hour by hour.
11/25/2020-I have news to shout from a mountain top.....I am at the hospital with David for my last chance to visit before it goes orange and he is staring to wake up! Thank you Jesus!!!! I will share more when I can. He is still on the ventilator and we have a long road ahead, but I’m so filed with hope.
11/26/2020- Brief Medical Update: Doctors remind me that we are not quite “out of the woods.” Lungs are improved, but he hasn’t tolerated coming off the ventilator just yet. Kidney function is improved, and if he continues that trend we are hoping there’s no need for dialysis. Fever and possible infection are being closely monitored. The biggest thing we are needing to see improve is the brain function. There are a lot of big words here, but basically, although he is MUCH more awake, he has been completely off sedation for 4 days and is not fully awake. There’s a lot that could be causing this...some are scary, some are quite simple and will just require more time.
Poor David has been on numerous different life support systems this past week. At one point, I was reminded by his cardiac surgeon that he was “as near to death as a person can be, so the recovery is going to be very long.” (He meant that as reassurance, but yikes!) Unfortunately, the hospital is now in orange phase, so I will no longer be able to visit. For those of you who don’t know what that means, it is re-assessed every 2 weeks, so (sadly) I honestly don’t anticipate being able to visit him at all during his hospital recovery. (Our county here has been in orange for 3-4 weeks already.) I am so grateful for today though.
11/27/2020- Huge praise!! He is off the ventilator!! Oh, thank you God!
11/28/2020- I have a PRAISE instead of just a prayer request! David is not only off ALL the life supports (he has been on numerous things that have kept him alive, it’s amazing what they can do), he is awake and conversational and doing VERY well all things considered. He is still trying to piece things together mentally, but I feel like things seem to be FINALLY headed in the right direction. They keep reminding me there will be road bumps, but this feels like a miracle to me — there have been so many points these past 2 weeks that I’ve been told straight up by different doctors that they were not sure he was going to make it. I loved that they were honest and didn’t sugar coat things, but it has been 2 weeks of the most intense emotions I’ve ever experienced, yet, strangely, a time I’ve never been closer to God. I am so humbled by and grateful for all of you who fervently prayed with us, sent a note of encouragement or a verse, or dropped off food or something to cheer us.
11/28/2020 PM: David is currently still on the cardiac ICU at Strong, but is making slow but steady improvements. They continue to try to clear the fluid on his lungs, resume all organs to normal functioning, and while the mental clarity is much better, he still has some confusion that they are watching.
Organizer and beneficiary
Maryanne VanBurger
Organizer
Owego, NY
Julie Cart- McCausland
Beneficiary
