Help Michael Day's Recovery from Total Colectomy

Hi, my name is Phil Day, perhaps better known as Michael Day's big brother. I am fundraising on Michael Day's family's behalf as they embark on a frightening, yet brave, journey towards healing.

You may not be aware that Michael has battled ulcerative colitis (UC) for the last 18 years of his life. Looking back, I still remember when he first became ill, suddenly changing from a healthy, fit 21-year-old to a mere 150 pounds almost overnight. He couldn't keep food down, and even water became an enemy. It wasn't until he was hospitalized that doctors began to find medications that helped him.

Since then, Michael has fallen in and out of remission, mostly kept going through high doses of steroids. When one medicine worked, our family would breathe a collective sigh of relief, but inevitably it would fail over time. He was on at least 20 different medications before infusions seemed to make the most progress about three years ago. Michael ate normally for the first time since he was a teen. His humor and smiles were consistently back. And this was all well timed, as around then Michael's family grew, first with Annabel (now almost three), and then followed by Cecilia (who just turned one). With his spouse Jenna by his side, it did seem like Michael's battle with UC was turning a corner.

Of course, treatments are just that- they attempt to treat but do not always cure. Holistic practitioners, elimination diets, new GI teams- Michael tried everything this past year when the infusions suddenly stopped working and he was in the worst pain of his life. We saw him slipping again, his weight the most noticeable if he was on stage with his bands, but also his mental health. At a time when most people think should be your happiest, the daily pain he was in was taking a horrible toll on Michael and his family, and he went through trial after trial of medications, failing each time. We no longer saw Michael out unless he was working. He could no longer trust his body in other people's homes. Nothing was helping. His GI team recommended that he begin talking to surgeons.

What came next was not easy. Michael was told that his disease had advanced to the stage where blood transfusions would be needed going forward, and if he delayed surgery any longer, he would risk the chance that his body would be too weak to recover. Michael and Jenna decided the best path forward, one with true healing, is a total colectomy. Michael will travel to Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York on March 4th to start this next phase towards recovery. In the first of three surgeries, his surgeons will remove his entire large intestine. Michael will have an ileostomy bag that the doctors and nurses will train him how to use, and slowly he will be reintroduced to food again.

After a few months of healing, Michael will go back for his second surgery, this time for ileoanal anastomosis surgery (also known as J-Pouch surgery). At this time, they will take his small intestine and create a new digestive tract. Michael will need to recuperate again, only to months later go back again for the final surgery, where they will hopefully be able to reverse the ileostomy bag and allow the J-Pouch to take over.

2024 will be a very challenging year for Michael Day and his family. Michael, like his siblings, aunts, uncles, wife, and grandmother, is a teacher. Unlike us, though, he is a private instructor, so he has no sick time. These surgeries and the months of recovery that follow will not only impact his primary income, but also his income as a gigging musician. Perhaps the most challenging of all is child care- Michael stays at home as Annabel and Cecilia’s caregiver during the day while Jenna teaches, but each surgery comes with at least one month of recovery. Thus, Michael’s family needs your financial assistance. Your donation will help keep them afloat while Michael is unable to earn his income. All money collected from this Go Fund Me will pay medical bills, monthly bills, and for basics such as food and housing. The Day and Valliere Families thank you in advance for your help, from the very bottom of our hearts.