Peter Patterson

While we have all seen, shared and donated to a friend or loved ones GoFundMe, I have been blessed to have never been on the receiving end of such a fundraiser until now. I am grieving, in shock and very much in denial as I humbly ask my friends and family for help. Your family/friend/loved one and my husband of twenty-years, Pete Patterson, was rushed to the hospital by ambulance on March 26, 2019, for chest pain. He was then life-flighted to a larger hospital in Austin Texas after imaging revealed that he was suffering from an aortic dissection. He was rushed into the operating room for emergency cardiac surgery, which was successful. However, he experienced low blood perfusion to the brain and suffered several watershed strokes which resulted in global encephalopathy and anoxic brain injuries. He received blood transfusions, was placed on kidney dialysis, obtained a temporary pacemaker, and was placed on a ventilator. Pete continues to be a strong fighter in sickness as he very much was in health. Although he remains in the ICU, his transfusions, pacemaker, and ventilator have been withdrawn. He remains on kidney dialysis and has a tracheostomy. However, he is not responding to neurological testing and exams as anticipated. He has not yet been able to talk or respond to commands, but he is responding to sensory stimuli such as environmental changes and pain (reflexes). We are blessed that he is still here with us and for every bit of daily progress. We have such a long road to recovery, and we are not quite sure what the result of that recovery will be. I pray that one day we will be able to enjoy time together in one of our favorite parks once more. He is a lover of nature and loves hiking and kayaking. Currently, we are discussing moving from ICU to a step-down unit here at the hospital and potentially placement into a rehabilitation facility that specializes in critical neurological, cardiac, and kidney treatment. Just a few months prior, Pete and I opened our roofing company. He was surveying a church roof when he began to experience chest pain, and the church was able to call an ambulance. I assisted him in the business, but I do not know enough to continue the company on my own and can’t stand to leave his bedside. We have lost our income and Pete does not have health insurance. If you can donate or help in any way, be that monetarily or emotionally, please know you are very much appreciated. We will continue to update friends and family with any new progress. Thank you, everyone, for your donations, kind thoughts, and prayers.  - Renee Patterson

23-Apr-2019: Pete's health continues to fluctuate. He was moved from ICU to a step-down unit but suffered complications including aspiration, fever, and Kennedy ulcers. He has been moved back to the ICU.  He remains on kidney dialysis and a feeding tube. Family is arriving later in the week.