Life Saving Surgery for Patrick
Donation protected
Hi everyone!Meet Patrick: a lover of animals, the outdoors, hard work, and most of all, his family. He has a wonderful wife, two daughters, and a few animals on our little farm, including his baby and best friend, Gunner Gauge- the lab cuddling Patrick pictured above.
Ever since childhood, he has suffered from medical issues. Ages 11-16, he spent many weeks to months each year at the Shriners Children hospital experiencing experimental procedures. He was diagnosed with Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease- when the blood supply doesn’t reach the ball part of the hip joint, causing the bone to start to die. Unlike most children, as he grew older, he didn’t grow out of it, it got worse and spread from just the hips to almost all of his joints. Recently, doctors are worried he was misdiagnosed as a child and currently don’t know exactly why his body is deteriorating as it is.
From age 11 to now, 47, he has gone through 15 extensive surgeries- including the removal of the lower part of his lung due to a cancer scare and 2 strenuous hip replacements. The hip replacements were good at the beginning, but as he ages, pieces of his bones continue to break off, leaving him in constant pain.
We are now waiting for surgery #16, open heart surgery for Constrictive Pericarditis- a rare and risky heart condition when the membrane surrounding the heart eventually hardens, causing his heart to stop pumping. In early February this year, he went to the doctor with chest pain, where he was immediately admitted to the cardiovascular center at Good Samaritan with heart failure. After being admitted, they discovered it was actually Constrictive Pericarditis. With his condition being so rare, the doctors think he must travel to Stanford for the surgery, where they have four specialists to work on him and the proper equipment. They are planning on keeping him there for 1-2 weeks, followed by three months of recovery.
Last fall, Patrick’s pain in his hips were so bad he wasn’t able to really get out of bed and would continuously fall, so he could no longer go to work anymore. Our family then started the process of filing for disability, which still hasn’t been accepted. This has been a very hard and trying time for our family, especially Patrick. He feels crushed that he isn’t able to provide for our family with a job. He is hesitant of me posting this GoFundMe Page because being a prideful man, it is hard sharing his story and asking for financial help. He knows this is the last resort and is accepting enough of the situation for me to post this.
As many people know, even with insurance, bills pile up very quickly. With his wife wanting to take time off to be with him during the surgery and part of the recovery, it is worrisome not knowing if she will be able to afford taking time off. The previous medical debt, hospital stays, travel, open heart surgery expenses, the cost of recovery, and the fear of insurance denying the surgery- all estimating between $100,000-$200,000, we know we will struggle with finances.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read our donation page for Patrick. No matter how large or small the donation is, we truly appreciate every cent. If you are not able to donate, it costs nothing to share this page or to keep our family in your prayers.
We will continue to post updates as we receive them from doctors. Thank you again.
Ever since childhood, he has suffered from medical issues. Ages 11-16, he spent many weeks to months each year at the Shriners Children hospital experiencing experimental procedures. He was diagnosed with Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease- when the blood supply doesn’t reach the ball part of the hip joint, causing the bone to start to die. Unlike most children, as he grew older, he didn’t grow out of it, it got worse and spread from just the hips to almost all of his joints. Recently, doctors are worried he was misdiagnosed as a child and currently don’t know exactly why his body is deteriorating as it is.
From age 11 to now, 47, he has gone through 15 extensive surgeries- including the removal of the lower part of his lung due to a cancer scare and 2 strenuous hip replacements. The hip replacements were good at the beginning, but as he ages, pieces of his bones continue to break off, leaving him in constant pain.
We are now waiting for surgery #16, open heart surgery for Constrictive Pericarditis- a rare and risky heart condition when the membrane surrounding the heart eventually hardens, causing his heart to stop pumping. In early February this year, he went to the doctor with chest pain, where he was immediately admitted to the cardiovascular center at Good Samaritan with heart failure. After being admitted, they discovered it was actually Constrictive Pericarditis. With his condition being so rare, the doctors think he must travel to Stanford for the surgery, where they have four specialists to work on him and the proper equipment. They are planning on keeping him there for 1-2 weeks, followed by three months of recovery.
Last fall, Patrick’s pain in his hips were so bad he wasn’t able to really get out of bed and would continuously fall, so he could no longer go to work anymore. Our family then started the process of filing for disability, which still hasn’t been accepted. This has been a very hard and trying time for our family, especially Patrick. He feels crushed that he isn’t able to provide for our family with a job. He is hesitant of me posting this GoFundMe Page because being a prideful man, it is hard sharing his story and asking for financial help. He knows this is the last resort and is accepting enough of the situation for me to post this.
As many people know, even with insurance, bills pile up very quickly. With his wife wanting to take time off to be with him during the surgery and part of the recovery, it is worrisome not knowing if she will be able to afford taking time off. The previous medical debt, hospital stays, travel, open heart surgery expenses, the cost of recovery, and the fear of insurance denying the surgery- all estimating between $100,000-$200,000, we know we will struggle with finances.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read our donation page for Patrick. No matter how large or small the donation is, we truly appreciate every cent. If you are not able to donate, it costs nothing to share this page or to keep our family in your prayers.
We will continue to post updates as we receive them from doctors. Thank you again.
Organizer and beneficiary
Natalie Dumble
Organizer
Alsea, OR
Erika Arnold
Beneficiary
