Rally for Lisa's Battle Against Septic Shock

Our names are Amy Heald and John Heald, the children of Lisa VanDyke. On February 14th, our mom was taken to the ER with shortness of breath and brain fog. She couldn’t remember what she was doing or saying, and we got concerned. The next morning, at the ER, she was having trouble breathing, and they ended up having to intubate her. During intubation, they had trouble placing the tube and had to use a camera for it to be successful. During that, they accidentally scraped her trachea, which caused her to bleed from her mouth and nose. They had to suction the fluid to keep her airway clear. She’s currently not breathing on her own, and her kidneys are shutting down. She’s been in A-fib since she was admitted. On February 22nd, she got life-flighted to UH Hospital in Cleveland. She’s currently in critical condition with a diagnosis of septic shock. She has an infection in her blood, and the medical team has tested for everything they can think of and still no luck. She’s on dialysis, which is cleaning her blood and removing some fluids from around her heart and lungs to help with pneumonia that she was also diagnosed with. Today, she’s on 90% oxygen and has a heated blanket to try and bring her body temperature up. She was fighting a fever, but the last 2 days the fever is gone, but she’s having issues regulating her body temperature due to dialysis. Dialysis can take a toll on the body, but the doctors are doing all they can to keep her stable.

I’m reaching out in hopes to get some financial help from family and friends to help cover travel expenses, gas, food, and parking expenses, etc. I (Amy Heald) have taken time off work without pay, so of course, I am stressing about my finances and how I will stay afloat and still be able to be by my mom's bedside. We would love to hear any memories you have shared with our mom to help lift our spirits in this critical time. We want to thank everyone who has reached out and sent prayers for her; it is much appreciated! Keep those prayers coming !!

paypal/ @amyheald

UPDATE: we want to thank everyone for their donations ! It has really helped take some of the burden off when it comes to travel expenses and food.

Yesterday , the doctor informed us that Mom will need to come off of her ventilator within two days and the only option is putting a trach in the front of her neck, she will only qualify for this if she’s able to go down to 70% oxygen, there’s high risks with with procedure , considering the condition she is in. Another factor is, we have to decide if this is something Mom would want . The only other option if she does not get better is to call hospice in to keep her comfortable for the remaining time she is with us. I’ll do my best to update everyone ! Thank you again for all your support, prayers and donations !!

Update 3-1-2025

Unfortunately, Mom gained her angel wings on 2-28-2025. Such a young soul to go so soon! May you rest in peace Mom. We love you to the moon and back for eternity ❤️❤️