Rickie Hernandez Aphasia Recovery

Hi all, I’m reaching out to you good people to ask for help, on behalf of my family, for one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. My cousin, Rickie Hernandez Jr., has sustained a terrible head injury on December 30th. This resulted in being air lifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA from his home in Neah Bay, WA, which is a Makah Native American Reservation about four hours Northwest of Seattle.

Rickie presented to Emergency at 5:56am and shortly after arrival, had undergone a Craniectomy to allow the brain to swell outwards, rather than inward. This is vital in order to avoid intracranial pressure to the brain tissue, cerebral fluid, and spinal cord. With this severe trauma, every minute is critical, as waiting can cause severe brain damage and even paralysis.

After Rickie made it through the procedure, he then became septic, in layman’s terms: an infection in your bloodstream. During this scary time, he remained in the ICU and was flushed with antibiotics, after already being intubated with breathing tubes, and receiving frequent brain scans to monitor his brain activity and functional ability.

I am so happy to report that he’s since been moved not only out of the ICU, but pushed his way though the progressive care unit (step-down ICU), and has now begun his rehabilitation journey. My recent visit with Rickie shows just how strong-willed this man is, and although heartbreaking to see, I know in my soul he will persevere. He is currently struggling with a condition called Aphasia, which is common with blunt force trauma to the left side of the brain. Rickie has an incredibly long journey learning how to communicate, read, and write again. We are expecting to see him undergo another procedure in about 3 months time, a Cranioplasty, where his medical team will reconstruct the left side of his skull and protect his brain again. Medical advice suggests that this procedure in itself results in huge progression with cognitive development!

Any and all donations are accepted with the most heartfelt ‘Thank you’ from myself and our entire family. I don’t think I will ever be able to articulate my gratitude for your time, love, and support.

We wish to meet our first goal with the intentions to have Rickie receive the best care possible, help with transportation, medical bills, and household/family bills as he will not be working until he has made a full recovery. His rehabilitation will require a full time caregiver.

Bless you all, truly, and thank you. XO