Support for Alex Franco and Family

On Saturday, June 25th, Alex Franco was found collapsed at work and was rushed to the emergency room. He suffered a massive stroke and required an open heart surgery for an aortic dissection, which meant that there was a tear in his main heart valve. Blood rushes through the tear, which causes the inner and middle layers of the aorta to split. Because of this, the blood in his body was not being delivered to his brain or body properly. Alex was immediately rushed to another hospital that had a surgeon to help him, and thankfully he made it through the surgery.

Alex has been recovering in the ICU and is kept on a 24-hour watch, as his condition is severe and requires maximum assistance. The doctors were concerned about his kidneys prior to surgery, saying they were compromised and not working to the fullest extent. Because of this, he was kept on continuous dialysis for the first couple of days after surgery, removing excess fluid and waste from his blood. It has since been changed to daily dialysis, which will be done for 2-4 hours, as this is easier on his high blood pressure. He has been on a ventilator since the day of surgery (June 25th), and although he can partially breathe on his own now, he still needs the ventilator to assist him since he showed signs of distress without it.

We have now learned that he has swelling in his brain, most likely due to the stroke. He had a CT scan, but doctors were unable to see clear results, so an MRI will be done soon.

As of now, we received an update on June 30th that Alex has fallen into a coma. He was expected to be awake after a few days of recovering post-surgery, but unfortunately he still has not woken up. Alex has not reacted to any pain tests the nurses have done, though he has shown small signs of consciousness. When spoken to by Eva, his partner, he opened his eyes and moved his toes when he was asked to. He also made a slight verbal noise when she pinched his hand. Writing this as his youngest child, my mother and I both visit every day and make sure to talk to him to let him know we’re here. He is fighting for his life and needs all the support he can get.

The financial weight due to medical expenses and both my parents not working will be difficult for us. Any money donated will be extremely helpful as we have several things to worry about, including medical expenses, daily commute to San Francisco, gas money, food for ourselves, monthly rent for our home, bills, etc. Please keep Alex in your prayers and send positive energy; he needs to feel all the love to know he’s not alone and that he can get through this. Spreading this GoFundMe goes a long way, so please donate if you can and share this link everywhere.

Family and friends are encouraged to visit him in the hospital. ID and proof of vaccination are required to enter, though COVID tests are available if you have no access to your vaccination card or if you are not vaccinated. If anyone is interested in visiting, please contact us for the hospital address and room number. 

Thank you in advance for all the donations, shares, and prayers. Any support is greatly appreciated.