Steve spends 50th Anniversary in ICU with COVID
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I have known Steve and Debbie for twenty-five years from a friendship forged in Alaska. Their 50-year love story included a recent Mexico trip to celebrate, which started on February 20th, 2021. Their journey has taken them through a nightmare.
Debbie stated, "He asked me to go steady on Valentine's day 1971." On March 2nd, 2021, they tested positive for Covid. They were quarantined in a hotel owned by the resort. Steve was hospitalized in two Mexico Hospitals.
The insurance company finally decided to medevac him to San Diego. Before the medevac team arrived, Steve got worse and was incubated and put on a ventilator.
Upon arrival to San Diego, they discovered Steve's right lung was collapsed, so they placed a chest tube. He started to improve. Steve needed the ventilator at 100% O2. Then 80%, 70%, 65%, and 50%. The PEEP, which controls the pressure used to get the O2 into Steve's lungs, is 12. That is high. Steve is currently in the ICU in critical condition and receiving nutrition through an NG tube.
Steve and Debbie have been away from home for over a month and are not close to being discharged. Expenses of living away from home, with climbing medical expense will become astronomical.
Love, prayers, share the post, and donations are appreciated.
A little about Steve and Debbie
Steve and Debbie went to Mexico to celebrate 50 years of going steady. Debbie stated, "He asked me on Valentine's day 1971." On February 20th, they went to Loreto, Mexico, to celebrate, and then on March 2nd, they tested positive for Covid. They were quarantined in a hotel owned by the resort. Steve was hospitalized on March 8th, and for five days were unable not communicate. Then one of the nurses let Steve call Debbie on the nurses' tablet. Debbie reports, "He sounded so sick."
On the evening of March 12th, Debbie tested negative to Covid. On March 13th, Debbie walked to the hospital; however, it was locked, and no one spoke English. Debbie tried to give the hospital staff Steve's phone, but they would not take it.
On March 14th, Steve called from the nurse's tablet. Steve told Debbie she could come and see him. Debbie again walked to the hospital; they refused to let her in. Finally, they brought Steve to the window. Debbie recounts, they did the prison thing and put their hands together on the glass. As Debbie walked back to the hotel, Steve called, stating the hospital allowed Steve to have his phone. Debbie booked it back to the hotel, and then the Doctor drove up and talked to Debbie. He said Steve needed to go to a better hospital. The Doctor arranged an ambulance for that day. The Doctor told Debbie all the bills for this hospital would be on the La Paz hospital bill. I squared things with the hotel, and they said they would store her luggage.
Debbie rode with Steve to La Paz. Steve was on O2, but it was not high enough. Steve told Debbie the hospital's horrors, such as how they did not even feed him the first three days. His hands and arms were black and blue from how many times they stuck him trying to put in IVs.
The nightmare got worse. The Doctor met them in La Paz, but they did not go to the hospital. They went to an imagining center, and as they took Steve in, without O2, he started to panic!!! He said, "I'm suffocating." They put an oximeter on his finger. His O2 level was at 67%. They got into action really quick then and got his O2 up to 79%, which is still too low!!
Debbie watched the monitor of the CT scan. The Doctor pointed to it and said, "All that white is damage. His lungs are 80% damaged." Then they went to the hospital, and Steve got into his room. The Doctor took Debbie outside and told me I had to pay 20,000 Pesos (over $900 U.S. Dollars) for the ambulance ride and the CT scan. The Doctor pulled out a small credit card machine and his phone, which Debbie paid.
Steve got worse; the Doctors lied to Debbie, one turned down his O2. Debbie was trying to find out what was going on. Steve's O2 levels dropped to 63%. Steve was put into a medically induced coma and put on high flow O2. The insurance company finally decided to medevac him to San Diego. Before the medevac team arrived, Steve got worse and was incubated and put on a ventilator.
Upon arrival, his right lung was collapsed, so they placed a chest tube. He started to improve. Steve needed the ventilator at 100% O2. Then 80%, 70%, 65%, and 50%. The PEEP, which controls the pressure used to get the O2 into Steve's lungs, is 12. That is high. Steve is currently in the ICU in critical condition and receiving nutrition through an NG tube.
Debbie states, "It has been a nightmare!"
Love, prayers, share the post, and donations are appreciated.
Debbie stated, "He asked me to go steady on Valentine's day 1971." On March 2nd, 2021, they tested positive for Covid. They were quarantined in a hotel owned by the resort. Steve was hospitalized in two Mexico Hospitals.
The insurance company finally decided to medevac him to San Diego. Before the medevac team arrived, Steve got worse and was incubated and put on a ventilator.
Upon arrival to San Diego, they discovered Steve's right lung was collapsed, so they placed a chest tube. He started to improve. Steve needed the ventilator at 100% O2. Then 80%, 70%, 65%, and 50%. The PEEP, which controls the pressure used to get the O2 into Steve's lungs, is 12. That is high. Steve is currently in the ICU in critical condition and receiving nutrition through an NG tube.
Steve and Debbie have been away from home for over a month and are not close to being discharged. Expenses of living away from home, with climbing medical expense will become astronomical.
Love, prayers, share the post, and donations are appreciated.
A little about Steve and Debbie
Steve and Debbie went to Mexico to celebrate 50 years of going steady. Debbie stated, "He asked me on Valentine's day 1971." On February 20th, they went to Loreto, Mexico, to celebrate, and then on March 2nd, they tested positive for Covid. They were quarantined in a hotel owned by the resort. Steve was hospitalized on March 8th, and for five days were unable not communicate. Then one of the nurses let Steve call Debbie on the nurses' tablet. Debbie reports, "He sounded so sick."
On the evening of March 12th, Debbie tested negative to Covid. On March 13th, Debbie walked to the hospital; however, it was locked, and no one spoke English. Debbie tried to give the hospital staff Steve's phone, but they would not take it.
On March 14th, Steve called from the nurse's tablet. Steve told Debbie she could come and see him. Debbie again walked to the hospital; they refused to let her in. Finally, they brought Steve to the window. Debbie recounts, they did the prison thing and put their hands together on the glass. As Debbie walked back to the hotel, Steve called, stating the hospital allowed Steve to have his phone. Debbie booked it back to the hotel, and then the Doctor drove up and talked to Debbie. He said Steve needed to go to a better hospital. The Doctor arranged an ambulance for that day. The Doctor told Debbie all the bills for this hospital would be on the La Paz hospital bill. I squared things with the hotel, and they said they would store her luggage.
Debbie rode with Steve to La Paz. Steve was on O2, but it was not high enough. Steve told Debbie the hospital's horrors, such as how they did not even feed him the first three days. His hands and arms were black and blue from how many times they stuck him trying to put in IVs.
The nightmare got worse. The Doctor met them in La Paz, but they did not go to the hospital. They went to an imagining center, and as they took Steve in, without O2, he started to panic!!! He said, "I'm suffocating." They put an oximeter on his finger. His O2 level was at 67%. They got into action really quick then and got his O2 up to 79%, which is still too low!!
Debbie watched the monitor of the CT scan. The Doctor pointed to it and said, "All that white is damage. His lungs are 80% damaged." Then they went to the hospital, and Steve got into his room. The Doctor took Debbie outside and told me I had to pay 20,000 Pesos (over $900 U.S. Dollars) for the ambulance ride and the CT scan. The Doctor pulled out a small credit card machine and his phone, which Debbie paid.
Steve got worse; the Doctors lied to Debbie, one turned down his O2. Debbie was trying to find out what was going on. Steve's O2 levels dropped to 63%. Steve was put into a medically induced coma and put on high flow O2. The insurance company finally decided to medevac him to San Diego. Before the medevac team arrived, Steve got worse and was incubated and put on a ventilator.
Upon arrival, his right lung was collapsed, so they placed a chest tube. He started to improve. Steve needed the ventilator at 100% O2. Then 80%, 70%, 65%, and 50%. The PEEP, which controls the pressure used to get the O2 into Steve's lungs, is 12. That is high. Steve is currently in the ICU in critical condition and receiving nutrition through an NG tube.
Debbie states, "It has been a nightmare!"
Love, prayers, share the post, and donations are appreciated.
Organiser and beneficiary
Sarrah Mayfield
Organiser
Maricopa, AZ
Deborah Mullin
Beneficiary