Scott Reynish Medical and Family Fund

         **September 20 Update**

Dear #ScottsArmy:

It has been a while since we have written an update, as we have been fully immersed in Scott’s recovery. We are thrilled to share that after 6 grueling weeks in the ICU in Thousand Oaks and in a rehabilitation center in Baldwin Park, Scott was finally transferred back to an acute rehabilitation center here in Bakersfield, where he made major strides over 3 and a half weeks of intense therapy. After a million miracles and almost 9 very intense weeks of fighting, Scott will finally be able to go home on Friday, September 23rd!

Scott has been doing physical, occupational, and speech therapy for three hours each day. He can use a walker and with the help of a therapist for stability, is able to walk up to 85 feet at a time. Remember, Scott’s doctors deemed him paralyzed on the right side of his body, and now he is able to practice walking (with support) and has begun to see more and more movement in his right arm. Praise God! While he largely still has very little feeling on the right side of his body, the doctors tell us that even twinges of physical sensation are a great sign of what is possible in the future. Please pray for more improvements in his right hand and arm.

Scott continues to struggle to respond to us verbally, but he is fully coherent of our presence and communicating in other ways. We are so grateful that his hard work in speech therapy is beginning to pay off; he is able to verbally say “yes” and “no,” as well as repeat a few words here or there. He does have a condition called Aphasia which essentially means he can completely comprehend what we are saying but has difficulty responding. He still has a long road ahead in terms of his verbal communication, so please pray for his ability to speak and communicate with ease.

We can hardly believe that after doctors warned Scott may never live independent of medical intervention, Scott is no longer reliant on any machines! He has been breathing fully on his own and is even able to feed himself orally. He’s super hungry after long days of therapy and is absolutely loving food.

We are still awaiting two surgeries (dates TBD): one to close the hole in his heart that doctors determined was a factor of Scott’s stroke and the second to replace the bone flap on his head. Each surgery will be difficult on Scott’s mind and body. We ask for prayers for the surgical team and for Scott’s strength to recover quickly.

Finally, Scott had a screening with CNS, a therapy center in Bakersfield that specializes in brain injuries, and they accepted him as a patient. The next step is to secure insurance approval which typically takes about a week. The Reynish family’s insurance typically does not cover post-acute care, so we are prepared to fight so Scott will get 4 hours of therapy daily while being able to go home to his family each night. We ask for your prayers that the insurance company grants approval so he can receive this critical care.

Nine weeks ago, doctors warned us that Scott may never go home and now, this week, he will. We have witnessed so many miracles in the past few weeks and remain overwhelmed by the support of our community. To each of you who have donated, said a prayer, cooked a meal, helped to make the Reynish home more physically accessible for Scott, reposted these updates, texted the family to check in, and so on: we are so, so thankful you are a part of #ScottsArmy.

Melissa will continue to spend her days with Scott while trying to balance the demands of being a mother and head of the household. Any ongoing support you can provide – prayers, financial support, meal trains, etc. – are so appreciated. As we move into this next phase of Scott’s recovery, we ask that you continue to share his story by posting this GoFundMe link to social media and sharing our Venmo (Scott-Reynish) as an option if you or someone you know would like to donate fee-free, and sharing the link to the Meal Train: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/l6dyo6.

With gratitude,

#ScottsArmy

 **August 9, 2022 Update** 

Since our last update, we have both promising and concerning news to share. Let’s start with the good: After 12 days in the ICU in critical condition, Scott has finally been moved into the Progressive Care Unit (PCU). Praise God! We have been in good spirits since Scott’s doctors lowered his pain medication and took him off sedation, as he is becoming increasingly alert. He can open one eye and move his arm and leg on one side of his body. Doctors say there is some reactivity to their “pinch tests” on the side he can’t currently move, which is a promising sign for the future. Although Scott cannot speak, he knows we are there with him, communicating through eye contact, blinks, and hand squeezes. He even has a sense of humor, grinning ever-so-slightly at inside jokes with Melissa. He is almost never alone during visiting hours and #ScottsArmy has taken over the hospital waiting area. We know he feels the love, support, and prayer from all of us and from all of you. We are so thankful to see God’s work first hand.Now, the not-so-good: Last week, Scott’s doctors performed a doppler ultrasound and found multiple blood clots. This is not uncommon for someone who is confined to a hospital bed all day unable to move on their own, but it is still a cause for concern. To prevent the clots from moving to his heart and lungs and ultimately causing a pulmonary embolism, the doctors inserted an Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) filter designed to catch the blood clots. While the procedure was successful, it is something they will need to constantly monitor.The most difficult part of Scott’s recovery in the past week has been the pneumonia that continues to ravage his lungs. The related fever has finally subsided, but it is heartbreaking to see him cough with a trach in his neck. With each cough, his heartrate spikes and his body endures undue stress. The nurses say there are small signs it is improving, but his body cannot begin to focus on his recovery from the stroke until he beats the pneumonia. We also now know the cause of the initial stroke. A cardiologist has confirmed that Scott has an irregular heartbeat and was born with a hole in his heart – both are very common conditions but when combined it allows blood clots to pass and ultimately circulate to his brain. Unfortunately, this also means the risk of a stroke in the future is a major cause for concern and something a cardiologist will need to monitor moving forward.Now that Scott has left the ICU, he is staring down months of inpatient care designed to prevent any further neurological damage and work toward healing the 80% of his brain capacity that has been lost. We remain faithful he will recover fully, but his medical team continues to manage our expectations. As they remind us, this has been a catastrophic medical event; even in the best-case scenario, he will never be the same again. As we pray for the best outcome, we are preparing for the less-than-best, as well. Once again, words cannot capture our gratitude for your support. We cannot express enough how much we have seen God work miracles each and every day with Scott’s progress surpassing the doctor’s initial expectations. Our God is so good! We continue to request your ongoing prayers and any financial support you are able and feel called to provide for Scott and the Reynish family. Please continue to share the link to this GoFundMe with Scott’s story. We’ve also added Venmo (Scott-Reynish) as an option if you’d like to donate fee-free. With gratitude, #ScottsArmy    

        **August 2, 2022 Update** 

Since our last update, Scott has shown some promising signs of improvement! The doctors have been able to manage his blood pressure and performed a tracheotomy to facilitate his breathing. Since doctors lowered his sedation levels, he has shown physical signs of responsiveness, moving his eyes, showing some expression in his face, and even moving his right arm across his body. He is finally taking in food through a feeding tube and doctors are inserting a PICC line today so they can more safely deliver medicine to him long term. 

Scott does still appear to be fighting off an infection with a low-grade fever. In addition to the Pneumonia we mentioned in the last update, his nurse suspects he may have a sinus infection, too. He is on antibiotics, and they are monitoring him closely.

 Unsurprisingly, words escape us as we attempt to articulate the impact you all have had on our journey through this tragedy. With your generosity, the Reynish family was able to secure a rental for the month in Thousand Oaks. Being able to be together as a family and just minutes from the hospital is a gift you all have made possible.

As always, any ongoing financial support and prayers you are able and called to offer are deeply appreciated. We appreciate those who have shared and continue to share Scott’s story and this GoFundMe page with your networks. We have now included the Venmo link if you prefer to do at that way! Thank you! #ScottsArmy

             UPDATED 7-30-22

There are no words to adequately describe how much our community’s response to our call for help has meant to us and our family. We so appreciate your continued support, even if we are slow to respond. 

Scott remains in critical condition in the ICU and his doctors are working hard to balance several things to stabilize him so he can begin his healing journey. Since his last procedure, doctors have placed a feeding tube, stabilized his blood pressure, and are now working to control a fever which is a possible sign of infection; they suspect pneumonia. If his fever doesn’t reduce soon, they will need to give him Demerol to put him into a deeper sedation so they can take measures to reduce the fever without putting his brain at risk for additional trauma. He’s also beginning antibiotics and Lasix to clear the fluid retention and help fight the infection. 

On the bright side, Scott’s nurse detected some reactivity in his left eye this morning and they will begin feeding him today. His skull is intact after the swelling and we can now see he is going to have a gnarly scar which will make for a great conversation starter when he’s back on his feet.

The Reynish family is doing as okay as can be expected, but it is abundantly clear the road ahead is going to be a long one. From mounting medical bills to expenses related to his recovery and ongoing therapy, your financial contributions have already lifted a major weight from Melissa’s shoulders. However, the truth is Scott is the primary financial provider for the Reynish family. While we are faithful he will recover his ability to walk and to speak, he likely will never work again and Melissa will be his full-time caretaker for the indefinite future. Any ongoing financial support and prayers you are able and called to offer will be deeply appreciated.

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In the early hours of July 27, Scott Reynish suffered a massive stroke. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Bakersfield where, after a CT scan confirming the stroke, doctors gave him an injection to dissolve blood clots. When that treatment didn’t work, Scott was transferred to Thousand Oaks to have a thrombectomy to remove the blood clots in his brain. Surgeons then removed a portion of his skull to allow his brain to swell and begin to heal. While the two latter procedures were successful, Scott went hours without sufficient oxygen reaching his brain and doctors estimate he has lost 80% of his brain function as a result.

The next part of Scott’s journey will be grueling. He will need to spend at least 6 weeks at the hospital in Thousand Oaks – over 2 hours from his home. While we have faith that he will fight through his recovery and exceed every expected outcome, his recovery will take a tremendous amount of time and resources. Our family is fully committed to being by his side each step of the way, but we cannot do it alone.

Throughout the 6+ weeks he is in the hospital, his wife (Melissa), three children (Lacey, Alexia, and Logan), and larger family will need support to travel to and from Bakersfield, cover hotel stays in the area, and pay for food and general expenses while away – all while astronomical medical bills pile up. Any contributions to this GoFundMe will directly support the Reynish family as they navigate this uncharted territory and pull together the strength to be there for Scott the way he has always been there for all of us.

If you know the Reynish family, you know Scott is the center of their world. Not only is he an incredible husband and a committed father, he is a loving son, brother, son-in-law, brother-in-law, uncle, and friend. We cannot wait to get our hardworking, witty, competitive, silly, sarcastic, Rams-loving, pickleball champion, Scott back home.

We appreciate your generosity (truly, anything helps) and our family cannot thank you enough for your prayers during this difficult time.

Venmo: Scott-Reynish if you want to donate fee free.