Tony's Fight

Family, Friends, and Loved Ones,

Thank you for taking the time to read our story.

This month has been challenging and heavy. On Sunday, October 6, 2024, Jose (AKA Tony) had a terrible accident. He was carrying a box down to the basement of his home when he lost his footing, causing him to fall down several stairs. Annette found him and called 911. He was immediately transported to Marshfield Medical Center.

After several hours and tests, we learned that Tony has a complete contusion of his C4, C5, and partial contusion of C6-8. Because of the injury, he was unable to move, feel, or breathe on his own, requiring him to be intubated and sedated. On October 8, 2024, a spinal decompression surgery was performed to allow the swelling in Tony’s back and neck to expand. This is done to preserve the nerve fibers that do remain intact.

Over the course of the next few days, the team at MMC attempted to wean him off intubation. This did not go as planned, and as a result, a tracheostomy and g-tube were planned.

The doctors explained that he seemed to be having a hard time, and they were concerned about a setback. It was then discovered that he has a pulmonary embolism (blood clot) in one of his lungs along with bacteria causing a type of pneumonia. This required that the medical team hold off on the tracheostomy and g-tube to allow the antibiotics to take effect and his lungs to heal.

Tony was finally strong enough to undergo the tracheostomy, g-tube, and pacemaker procedures on October 18, 2024. The pacemaker was placed as an added precaution in the event he went into cardiac arrest; thankfully, this did not occur.

Since then, Tony has battled a second round of pneumonia, a complication with his tracheostomy, and a few cardiac-related symptoms. During this time, it was also confirmed to us that he is considered a quadriplegic.

On 10/29/2024, our family met with a clinical liaison from Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado. Craig Hospital is one of the best in the country for Spinal Cord and/or Traumatic Brain Injuries. They are also the only rehab center in the region that will accept Tony with the tracheostomy. It was explained that the typical rehabilitation stay for a Craig Hospital patient is between 75-90 days. During the time that Tony is in rehab, Annette will also need to be there. She will need to learn how to care for him as it is unknown how much mobility and independence he will regain.

The accident has already taken a huge financial toll on Tony and Annette. They are both off of work, and at this time, it is unknown if either of them will ever be able to return to work. Tony and Annette are genuine, hardworking people. Tony was enlisted in the US Navy for 18 years and has been a US Post Office employee for over a decade, and Annette has dedicated her life to caring for others, being a Medical Assistant.

Tony and Annette had hoped they would not need to reach out for community support; however, the extent of the injury is just too great. They are looking at navigating hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses, an out-of-state rehabilitation stay, and possible home/vehicle modifications, in addition to normal daily living and household expenses.

Our family is truly grateful for all of the kind gestures, words, prayers, and support during this time. We are hopeful that Tony will continue to gain strength! He is absolutely a fighter and can't wait to get home! He is doing his best to remain positive and still has his sense of humor!

Thank you!

All our love,

Tony, Annette, Kristie, Chelsea, and Michael <3