Medical Relief Fund for Bob Pace

It is with an extremely heavy heart that I am reaching out today to our family and friends. I never could have imagined the battle we are currently fighting in the critical health issues Bob is facing today. His condition basically started approx. a month ago with what we thought were flu-like symptons. His energy was up one day and down the next. Slight fever, chills or headache one day and gone the next. Then fatigue and total body aches and no strength to unload anything from our car. This lead me to take Bob to the Urgent Care in Sartell on Saturday, Oct. 7th. He had developed a cough that preceeding week so they ordered a chest x-ray, among other tests that afternoon, to test for possible pneumonia. The results were negative. After a nebulizer treatment there, they sent us home with prescriptions for an inhaler, antibiotics and capsules for the pain when he coughed. He was eating very little at this point but did continue drinking water and diet 7-up. We were hopeful that the "Z-Pack" would kick in over the next day or so. Unfortunately, it did not. His condition worsened to the point that over Sunday & Monday he got weaker and weaker and would no longer come downstairs. On Tuesday morning I called his primary doctor whose nurse advised me that Bob's condition sounded so critical that he needed to go directly to the ER. I'm sure it was his adrenaline; he was able to get down our stairs. He could barely stand before that. At the ER in the hospital in our community he no longer had the strength to walk and was admitted in a wheel chair. When assigned to a room in the ER, and after the initial screening they performed, they began treating him for possible menengitis or sepcis. (Test later showed both were negative.) They moved him from the ER to a room on the Medical Progressive floor. They called me later that night to tell me he was moved to the ICU. He was there for 3 days as they began all the tests and screens to determine why he was suffering from kidney failure. He has no self or family history and no precurser to the chain of events. Dialysis was started in his room. All of his "#'s" were off - heart rate, oxygen, blood, breathing, etc. This is all out of the blue and a total shock for all of us. He was transferred back to the Medical Progressive floor, which is a blessing I guess, meaning he is making progress. 

In the days since, the team caring for Bob consists of a nephrologist, oncologist, hematologist, cardiologist, internist, radiologist, hospitalist, vascular specialist and all the fabulous RN's and PCAs. After many, many scans, tests, labs, & bone marrow test everything they have tested for has come back negative. So, by the process of elimination, they are attempting to find out what caused his kidneys to fail. Along the way his blood tests showed extremely low platelet counts. So, now his days consist of am dialysis and a procedure called plasma exchange (to beef-up his platelet count) in the afternoon. Both sessions are hours long each and totally exhausting for him. To say that he is extremely ill is an understatement. 

All of the kids and other family members are helping as they can to be with Bob during the day affording me the time to take card of our home and company business. Many of you know that Bob and I have been owners of a small business for many years. There have been highs and lows, for sure. Through all the years, Bob has been our "rainmaker". I've been moving things forward to the best of my ability - trying to keep up with the daily activity. The cost of Bob's care in the hospital up to this point is in the low approaching mid six-figure $$ as he is in day #15 there. Bob has insurance and now I begin the process of navigating through the tiers of coverage and deductibles, co-pays, etc., another full-time job. What I am asking for now is for any financial help you are able to give us. Between work and home there is so much that Bob would take care of and I get blindsided virtually every day with something else I need to deal with. We don't know yet what the illness is, what caused it or how long his treatment, rehab and recovery will be.

The need for your financial support is urgent. 

I am so grateful and want to thank everyone for the prayers for Bob and our family, the support, cards, flowers, visits, and encouragement for Bob. Bob is aware of the many ways that everyone has acknowledged him these past weeks. Please continue to pray for us. Thank you for any support you can offer our family.