Hello everyone, you may be keeping up to date with my father, Mark Pyorre’s, COVID battle through CaringBridge and quite a few of you have asked how you can help. We have set up a GoFundMe now after talking with Mark’s Palliative Care Team that this will be a long-term to potentially life-time battle. While my dad’s condition is still severe and we are waiting for him to make it into the ‘clear’, we do know his lungs are severely damaged and at this point he will have chronic lung disease for life. My dad has historically been the sole provider for his household, which includes my stepmom Shona (his wife of 16 years) and my younger brother, Mark Jr (age 13). We are hoping to ease their burden and my dad’s mind by raising funds for the unexpected medical costs and expected loss of income in their future.

My dad tested positive for COVID-19 on 9/1, was hospitalized 9/7 for an excruciating headache and low oxygen saturation, and was intubated and placed on a ventilator on 9/11/2021. On 9/26, we got the call at 1 AM to come to the hospital as his condition had deteriorated to being on 100% oxygen support while his blood oxygenation was only hovering at 81%. After spending several hours with him, praying and holding his hands, we were sent home as his condition had stabilized. We have only had this one opportunity to see him since he was admitted to the hospital, and have had to rely solely on daily updates from his doctors and nurses. He has been both heavily sedated and paralyzed on a ventilator for a full month now and has faced several setbacks in his recovery including a couple lung collapses and bacterial infections. He is currently the youngest person in the Mather VA hospital ICU with no pre-existing conditions.

On September 30th, Shona and I met with my father’s Palliative Care Team who were able to explain what the path forward may look like. Once he stabilizes from the tracheotomy, he will be placed in a Long-Term Acute Care facility (called an L-TAC) where he will need skilled, 24/7 care while he relearns basic functions and weans off the ventilator. They estimate he is currently looking at a minimum of 3-4 months at an L-TAC. His lungs are permanently damaged and it is likely he will need some type of oxygen support for life, but we won’t know what that will look like until he is further along in the recovery process. We are still seeking answers to what our future may look like and what kind of medical expenses the family will have but at this point we expect there to be costs associated with subsequent care and potential home/lifestyle modifications.

We know my dad is doing everything in his power to make it back to us and the last thing we want is for him to worry about finances when he comes to. My dad has taken great pride in providing for his family and helping friends whenever possible over the years, but he needs all of us now. My dad would already be blown away by the compassion and prayers you all have offered us through this tough time and I know it would warm his heart knowing his friends and community are reaching out to support his wife and son, whether that be emotionally, spiritually, or financially. The money raised from this GoFundMe will be towards medical-related expenses and housing costs.