Memorial Fund For Big Ben

Hafa Adai Family & Friends,

I am writing this with a heavy heart after the passing of my brother Ben Jude Nangauta also known to many as  “BJ”, “Big Ben” or “Dos”. Ben was one of Guams very own local musician. He was loved by many.

He was only 37 years old when the lord called him home. As some of you may know, Ben struggled with his health since last year 2022. He was admitted into Good Samaritan Hospital here in Washington after being diagnosed with Covid-19, shortly after that he suffered with a heart attack and that drastically changed his life. Ben also had a chronic condition called “congestive heart failure” in which the heart doesn’t pump blood as well as it should. He was constantly in and out of the hospital for a whole year still trying to fight his condition. Life was never the same for Ben after that. In October of 2022, Ben was admitted into Good Samaritan Hospital again, this time his condition worsened. After being there for a couple of days, he was put on life support. He stayed on life support for 10 days when the doctors said it was time to remove the machine. God gave him a second chance that day, my brother was able to breathe on his own and we had more time with him. We were all so happy and relieved that my brother was still with us. A few days after they removed the machine, my brother was able to return home. However, this time around he was weaker than ever. (The doctors did say his health would either go down hill or stay the same) Ben was so happy he got a second chance at life that he wanted to change his lifestyle for the better. He was ready to get back on his feet & start making music again. Unfortunately because his health was so bad he was not able to. He was too weak to get off his Bed, he was constantly relying on his oxygen & C-pap machine to breathe. We were able to celebrate thanksgiving, Christmas and new years with my brother.

On January 10th, Ben was admitted into Good Samaritan Hospital again. He had built up so much c02 in his body and was not able to release it. The doctors and nurses tried everything they could for Ben. Unfortunately none of the treatment was working anymore. Ben stayed on a machine called the A-Vap which is the most powerful oxygen generator the hospital had besides intubation which they did not recommend in bens condition because it would have been for life. That was no way to live. My family decided to keep Ben on the A-Vap. He stayed on the machine for a few days when the doctor had spoke to us and said “I’m sorry you have to hear this, but it’s not working, and your son/brother is very sick” My brother was not making any improvements and was constantly having episodes of little to no oxygen. The doctors recommended us to do comfort care which is only offered to patients who are very sick and are at the end of their life. My family and I then had to make the hardest decision of our life for our brother. A decision that no mother, sibling or family member should never have to make. We all saw him struggle that year, he was depressed, bed ridden and constantly in pain. My brother told us before that he didn’t wanna have to live his life on intubation ever again. What were we supposed to do. We had to respect his wishes and make him comfortable.

On January 14, 2023 Ben Jude Nangauta was called home.

My family & I humbly ask for any payers or donations to give Ben a proper memorial service. Because of Bens size the memorial prices are a lot higher. We are not able to afford this service and are asking for some help. With some help, we are hoping to have a memorial service here in Washington, followed by cremation.

We appreciate all the love and support you all have given us through this very difficult time.