My name is Melissa and this medical fundraiser is for my brother who is in the hospital fighting for his life. See story below. I will post updates as I have pertinent information to share. The pictures are of him as we all know him and his beautiful smile. The second is in ICU – the unidentified infection has caused him to be placed on a ventilator along with a cooling towel/blanket to try to reduce fever.

Donations received will help cover his medical bills, post- hospital recovery & rehab expenses, rent, car payment and utilities while he is hospitalized. I don't want him to lose his housing or his car while he is fighting for his life right now. Given the lifesaving care it is taking right now he will need the help. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your donation. Please share this fundraiser on your social sites and with people you know. I need to get momentum going with this fundraiser. And if there is a philanthropist out there that is in the position to help, please know we would appreciate it very much.

Don is currently in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit. He was found unresponsive on Wednesday, October 9th, and rushed to the hospital. He has an unknown infection that has left him fighting for his life.

The last time he was seen by friends was on Sunday, October 6th, at work. His coworkers say he was his normal self, with no sign of sickness. That was the last time he communicated with anyone. We believe this infection started sometime on Monday into Tuesday and subsequently took him down very quickly. He was found unresponsive on Wednesday night. To add to this, today on 10/12/24 we found out that based on his liver enzyme count they believe he was unconscious for 1-2 days. So it supports our thoughts that this infection hit him sometime on Monday and took him out very quickly.

Don was rushed to the hospital and initially was in and out of consciousness. When conscious, he was able to open his eyes and be aware of others at times. But he was not able to communicate, and we are not sure why. The last time he was conscious and aware of his surroundings was Friday morning, October 11th. That afternoon, he went into respiratory distress because of the severe pneumonia he now has. The pneumonia is a secondary complication of this unknown infection that still has not been identified. He is now intubated and on a ventilator in an effort to get more oxygen into his lungs and give his body a rest from working so hard.

Doctors have not been able to diagnose the infection. He has a cardiologist, pulmonary specialist, infections disease specialist and a neurologist assigned to his case. Multiple tests, labs, CAT scans, etc., have been completed. The hospital he is at has exhausted all resources, and they are now talking about transferring him to a higher-level care at another hospital.

We want to thank his friends - had it not been for his friends stopping by to check on him on Wednesday, October 9th, he wouldn't be alive today. Our family is eternally grateful for their actions that led to emergency personnel being summoned.

As of today, October 13th, we are not sure how this will progress. Our family is devastated by what is happening and hoping the medical teams can determine the cause of this illness. Until then, we are taking it one day at a time.

We are grateful for prayers and ask that prayer groups keep him in prayer. And we truly appreciate your donation to this fundraiser.