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On May 31, 2018, at approximately 10:43am, Joseph was brutally assaulted outside of an El Pollo Loco in Anaheim with a hammer to his upper extremities - face, head, and right arm. Witnesses reported a man hammering something into the ground. It wasn't until they heard my brother's screams that they realized it was a person. While the attacker has since been caught, my brother continues to fight for his survival and will be left with irreparable damages physically and mentally.
Since the assault, Joseph has undergone several procedures. Just within the first 24 hours, Joe had a craniotomy performed to help alleviate the pressure and swelling in his brain. While on an inter cranial monitoring machine, several doctors busily worked on suturing and stitching many areas of his face back together. He suffered extensive damage to his left eye, nose, and right cheek. He has severe facial fractures all around his sinuses, eyes, and cheeks. As well as many skull fractures that require surgery to fix.
The following day, June 1, Joe had surgery on his right arm where the hammer broke his humerus and wrist in several places, as well as left many gaping wounds along his arm and hand. His humerus was plated and we were warned that there would potentially be nerve damage and even loss of use to that entire hand. The hammer caused an infection in his largest wound and Joseph had to undergo another surgery on his arm to clean and reclose the wound. He now has a VAC in his arm to continually clean that infection.
His most recent surgery was on Wednesday, June 13th. Joseph underwent a long and invasive surgery from 2pm-11pm to take care of all of the facial and skull fractures he's been suffering from since his attack. Dr's commented that the fractures and damage to his face were much worse than anticipated. His left eye had a torn eyelid where the muscle had torn away from around the eye. Due to the swelling, his eyes are sutured closed to help with the healing process.
Joe has since awoken from his assault, but unfortunately he is not the same person he was before and it will be an extremely grueling and long road to recovery for him. As of right now, he is unable to perform every day tasks that we take for granted such as walking and talking. Thanks to his daily physical therapy sessions, he has since made great gains in these two areas. With assistance, Joe is able to stand and walk up and down a hallway slowly. His speech is improving as well, although not always understandable due to his several facial fractures and bad skull fractures. Dr.'s are so impressed with the improvements his is making and had to "see it with their own eyes" that he even survived his attack.
He has also been under the hospital's care for two weeks now and we're not sure how much longer insurance will cover his stay. Nor do we know if insurance will cover a rehabilitation facility to help him reenter into society. Joseph has medi-cal and we are not having any luck finding a facility that will take his insurance.
Joe has lost his sight in his left eye - vision is 20/400 - and will need therapy and assistive devices to help him function from day to day. He will also need speech therapy to help get his speech back. As well as physical therapy to help him with walking, rebuilding the strength in his right arm, and helping with the nerve damage to his wrist and fingers. The CAT Scan also shows bruising of his brain and he will need therapy to help with his memory, mood swings, PTSD from the event, and therapy to help him cope with the depression of being disabled and his daily struggles of having disabilities.
We are seeking funding to help cover current medical bills for his arm surgeries, facial fracture surgery, time in the ICU, and the special bed he needed while he was in their trauma ward for a week. We are also seeking funding to cover future costs - such as a rehabilitation facility that will suit Joseph's disabilities and recovery needs. Dr's say it may take years for his body and brain to fully recover and we're hoping to at least cover just the next 6 months of a rehabilitation facility. We've researched places and the out of pocket cost can run anywhere from $900-$1500 a week.
We, as his family, just want the Joseph that we all know and love back. And we are asking for your help so that we may have the opportunity to use any measures we can possible to help get him back on his road to recovery through not only our love and support, but the ability to provide the best medical care, physical and mental therapy and resources there are available. This tragedy has rocked our world and it's a miracle that he even survived.
#JusticeForJoe
Since the assault, Joseph has undergone several procedures. Just within the first 24 hours, Joe had a craniotomy performed to help alleviate the pressure and swelling in his brain. While on an inter cranial monitoring machine, several doctors busily worked on suturing and stitching many areas of his face back together. He suffered extensive damage to his left eye, nose, and right cheek. He has severe facial fractures all around his sinuses, eyes, and cheeks. As well as many skull fractures that require surgery to fix.
The following day, June 1, Joe had surgery on his right arm where the hammer broke his humerus and wrist in several places, as well as left many gaping wounds along his arm and hand. His humerus was plated and we were warned that there would potentially be nerve damage and even loss of use to that entire hand. The hammer caused an infection in his largest wound and Joseph had to undergo another surgery on his arm to clean and reclose the wound. He now has a VAC in his arm to continually clean that infection.
His most recent surgery was on Wednesday, June 13th. Joseph underwent a long and invasive surgery from 2pm-11pm to take care of all of the facial and skull fractures he's been suffering from since his attack. Dr's commented that the fractures and damage to his face were much worse than anticipated. His left eye had a torn eyelid where the muscle had torn away from around the eye. Due to the swelling, his eyes are sutured closed to help with the healing process.
Joe has since awoken from his assault, but unfortunately he is not the same person he was before and it will be an extremely grueling and long road to recovery for him. As of right now, he is unable to perform every day tasks that we take for granted such as walking and talking. Thanks to his daily physical therapy sessions, he has since made great gains in these two areas. With assistance, Joe is able to stand and walk up and down a hallway slowly. His speech is improving as well, although not always understandable due to his several facial fractures and bad skull fractures. Dr.'s are so impressed with the improvements his is making and had to "see it with their own eyes" that he even survived his attack.
He has also been under the hospital's care for two weeks now and we're not sure how much longer insurance will cover his stay. Nor do we know if insurance will cover a rehabilitation facility to help him reenter into society. Joseph has medi-cal and we are not having any luck finding a facility that will take his insurance.
Joe has lost his sight in his left eye - vision is 20/400 - and will need therapy and assistive devices to help him function from day to day. He will also need speech therapy to help get his speech back. As well as physical therapy to help him with walking, rebuilding the strength in his right arm, and helping with the nerve damage to his wrist and fingers. The CAT Scan also shows bruising of his brain and he will need therapy to help with his memory, mood swings, PTSD from the event, and therapy to help him cope with the depression of being disabled and his daily struggles of having disabilities.
We are seeking funding to help cover current medical bills for his arm surgeries, facial fracture surgery, time in the ICU, and the special bed he needed while he was in their trauma ward for a week. We are also seeking funding to cover future costs - such as a rehabilitation facility that will suit Joseph's disabilities and recovery needs. Dr's say it may take years for his body and brain to fully recover and we're hoping to at least cover just the next 6 months of a rehabilitation facility. We've researched places and the out of pocket cost can run anywhere from $900-$1500 a week.
We, as his family, just want the Joseph that we all know and love back. And we are asking for your help so that we may have the opportunity to use any measures we can possible to help get him back on his road to recovery through not only our love and support, but the ability to provide the best medical care, physical and mental therapy and resources there are available. This tragedy has rocked our world and it's a miracle that he even survived.
#JusticeForJoe