Help Rukai Heal

On August 15, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona Rukai suffered a heart attack and had to be resuscitated 3 times resulting in trauma to his brain due to the lack of oxygen. Rukai also suffered extensive burns to his skin (back, arms & legs) due to the extreme heat of the asphalt in summer. Unbeknownst to the paramedics and then the hospital staff, Rukai had suffered a ruptured liver during CPR and was internally bleeding.

Rukai’s internal bleeding would have been fatal without the necessary operation, which was not available at the initial hospital. He had to be airlifted to an alternative hospital in Arizona to get his liver repaired. Due to the swelling in his stomach cavity, the doctors were unable to reinsert his organs, and his organs & intestines had to stay outside his body in a vac bag for about two weeks. Rukai remained in a non-medical coma for six weeks. His doctors predicted that Rukai would remain in a persistent vegetative state for the rest of his life, as his scans showed his brain was unresponsive. 

 

Tianca, his wife, had to fight to get him life-saving heart-stent surgery as staff felt it was futile due to his vegetative state. When he eventually regained consciousness, Rukai was temporarily blind, suffered loss of memory, and was struggling to formulate sentences. Due to his other, more pressing health issues, his burns healed with necrosis (death of body tissue) and had to be surgically removed in November 2022. He now has weeping wounds on his arms, legs, and back. He is currently in the hospital in the Sub Acute Unit, relearning basic skills such as walking and mobility in his extremities. He has a tracheostomy tube to breathe, a gastronomy tube since he cannot eat orally, incontinence, confusion and lapses of memory. 

Tianca took the first job she could find to get health insurance, but it is not enough to cover childcare to visit Rukai nor is it enough to cover the bills. Anything you can give to help Tianca and Rukai during this difficult time would be much appreciated. Thank you so much for reading and considering our family.