Support Bryan's Critical Care Journey

Bryan and I met when we were homeless and when we had nothing to offer each other but the love and companionship of each other. From there, we worked together to get off the streets, get a place to stay, and start our new journey by opening our own business as a handyman service where I was his assistant.

We enjoyed having our handyman service, but in January 2023, things started to take a bad turn. He started being out of breath a lot, and he had to stop working because of it. I took on the job of being his permanent caregiver with IHSS, which is a program in California for disabled people who need some help at home.

We saw a cardiologist, a pulmonologist, a neurologist, and all the doctors we could to try to treat whatever was going on with Bryan. No one could quite figure out what was wrong with him. He was given medication, but nothing was working. In 2024, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, hypertension, and respiratory disease with hypoxia. We were given an oxygen machine at home as well as a portable one, but still no difference in his way of life. It got to the point where Bryan couldn't walk 5 ft without being severely out of breath. After over a year and a half with no medications working, including the oxygen, Bryan stumbled upon a website that explained that Loma Linda Medical Center in Loma Linda, California, had pulmonary hypertension specialists who were well-trained in that condition. After further research, we learned that pulmonary hypertension is a rare condition that only 30,000 people in the USA have. I called and made an appointment with the specialist at Loma Linda and explained the situation Bryan was in. The woman who was in charge of the appointments told me, "If he was as bad as you say he is, bring him as soon as possible to the Emergency Room so we can get him the treatment he needs instead of having to wait a month and a half to get him help."

So that's what I did. I got him to the ER on September 11th, 2025, at Loma Linda Medical Center. He was admitted to the hospital ICU unit at noon on September 11th, 2025. At the time, we didn't know why he was dealing with all the shortness of breath but found out later that he had pneumonia. They instantly put him on diuretics to help with the swelling in his legs and hands. His first day, they got over 7 liters of fluid out of his body, which helped somewhat. He was up and talking to me about wanting soda, and everything seemed to be going alright. After being in the ICU for a day and a half, he started having really bad leg cramps, some of the worst pain he had ever experienced, and Bryan has a very high pain tolerance, so for him to feel pain to that extent was serious. I was there holding his hand when he suddenly started screaming and went into a seizure and then started aspirating through his airway. The doctors and nurses ran in from every direction to try to help him breathe. They pulled me aside and told me they had to intubate him, and there was a ventilator that was 100% breathing for him. The doctors said that he has right ventricle failure, which means that the right side of the heart can't pump blood to the lungs or the left side of the heart. Bryan is in critical condition here at Loma Linda Medical Center ICU unit. He is still on a respirator that is breathing for him. I live in the city of La Quinta, and it's a 2-hour drive for me to come to see him, which takes a toll on me as well as my vehicle. I lost my job last month, and so we have absolutely no income coming in anymore since he's been in the ICU. I can't get paid by IHSS because he is hospitalized. I'm just asking for any help you can give to help me pay for food and motel stays so that I can continue to be there for Bryan in his time of need. He's been on the ventilator for 4 days now, and although they are trying to slowly get him off the ventilator, it takes time, and I just need help financially. Anything you can contribute will make a huge difference. Please, if you can't help, just put him in your prayers. He is still in critical condition, and we need all the prayers we can get.