Support a Family in Crisis

[UPDATE AS OF 19/05/25]

Today, at roughly ~3:30PM, May 19th, our father was pronounced dead. We only heard the news six hours hour later, at around ~10:00PM, due to the hospital staff apparently misplacing our contact information. (No, I am not being irreverent, that's the explanation they gave us.)

I apologize for not bringing good news. We're currently in the process of delivering it to our extended family, his remaining relatives. But thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who's supported us thus far - even if you can only wish us well. As it stands, it changes little about our material circumstances: we're still pockmarked with debt, and we're still down a source of income. That being said, if you're looking for a silver lining, we no longer have to think about paying for his care in the short-to-medium-term. As such, to reflect that, **we're lowering our funding goal to eight thousand dollars.** As already-mentioned, we doubt we're getting close to that number, but figure we should be honest about our needs.

Be well, everyone. Much love.

-

On the morning of May 11th, 2025, our father, Dušan, entered cardiac arrest. By the time he arrived at the local hospital, his heart had already completely stopped, and he had to be reanimated. His brain was deprived of oxygen for six minutes.

This would be more than enough to bring even a healthy person to the brink of death. But his history of diabetes, liver disease, and the fact he was still recovering from sepsis, made his condition even more critical. He was unconscious for 48 hours, partially under sedation, capable only of artificial respiration. When doctors attempted to take him out of sedation after two days, his brain suffered multiple epileptic seizures.

We don't really know the technical extent of his condition. We only know what doctors have told us: it is extremely bad. His brain activity remains 'minimal', and resembles the baseline of someone who's asleep despite the fact he's technically awake. The nurses and doctors were hesitant to give us a definitive diagnosis, but have told us it's something 'resembling brain death' - in essence, a coma. They say the few observable physical movements he can perform are entirely reflexive. It is devastating beyond words.

Despite the fact that both me, my brother, and my mother, all work full-time, our father was the one providing main sections of our household income. In the process, he burned through his already fragile health. Without him, we are genuinely unsure as to how we're going to materially survive. We feel embarrassed to ask for help, but recognize that there are certain points in life where you're forced to swallow your pride.

All donations will go exclusively to settling already-existing hospital, bank, and utility debts, alongside the continuous medical expenses of caring for him in the short-to-medium term. In short, they will go towards achieving a baseline stability for our family.

Additionally, all excess donations will go towards pre-emptively preparing his funeral arrangements. Buying the lot, paying for the storage and transfer of his body, his embalming, tombstone carving, and so on. It sounds grim, but if there's one consistent message we've got from doctors, it's that we should mentally prepare for the possibility of his death. We doubt we'll receive enough donations to go into an excess to begin with, but still - you should know where your money is going. If, by some miracle, we get enough to do everything immediately necessary and still end up with an excess, then we'll redonate the remaining funds to the SOS Children's Villages in Serbia.

To everyone who donates, or even considers donating: thank you so much. And even if you don't donate, thank you for giving our words your time. If you have any questions, or want/need more details, please don't be afraid to contact us.

(This fundraiser is hosted by a friend of the family in the US, due to GoFundMe's lack of support for Serbia. All proceeds will be transferred from my account to a family member's via Western Union.)