My name is Desiree Raile, and this fundraiser is for my 21-year-old son, Jaden Raile.

On August 17th of this year, I took Jaden to the UC Health ER in Fort Collins, CO. He was in intense pain from his stomach and extremities. He had been having this pain since May, and none of his doctors or specialists knew what was wrong with him, so they tried to make it all better with painkillers and muscle relaxers. His white blood cell count was through the roof this entire time, and not one antibiotic was given.

At the ER, I insisted that he be admitted so at the very least, he could be observed. They finally listened, and he was transferred by ambulance to Poudre Valley Hospital and put in "short stay."

Jaden went into cardiogenic shock and heart failure around 1 am the next morning, and then he was flown to the University of Colorado Anschutz in Denver, CO around 2:30 am.

Jaden was put on ECMO (life support), dialysis, and a ventilator immediately. My husband and I were told that he would be going on the heart transplant list.

In the next couple of days, we were told that his left foot was going to be amputated the following day because he had zero blood flow down his left leg, and the doctors were unable to find a pulse. By some miracle, an hour before the surgery, they found a pulse, so his foot was saved. Sadly, his first three toes on both feet are not looking good, so he may still lose his toes, and will have problems walking again.

Jaden's right hand also suffered a lack of circulation, and he will definitely lose the tips of his index and middle fingers, and maybe more. Unfortunately, he is right-handed, so this will be an obstacle he'll have to overcome.

Jaden was eventually taken off ECMO and was extubated. He was still on continuous dialysis. He was moved from the Cardiothoracic ICU to Cardiac ICU, and then finally reached step-down status, and was moved to the 10th floor—the Medical ICU.

Jaden was in the MICU a few days when his right femoral artery blew out, and he was rushed to emergency surgery. He was in there for 6.5 hours, and he lost a lot of blood.

They finally got him stabilized and he was moved back to the 3rd floor (CICU). Two days later, the artery in his left groin blew out, and he was rushed back to surgery.

Since then, Jaden has had a procedure almost every day for GI bleeding and washouts of his many incisions. He has been suffering from ICU delirium: he doesn't know where he is, he's hallucinating, and he's really depressed.

His birthday is coming up on the 14th of this month, and the one thing he wants is a new computer, since his broke about a week before his world got turned upside-down.

We're also asking for donations for his medical needs, recovery and supplies after he's able to come home, and also to help me stay in Denver so that I can continue to be with him every day.

I thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read Jaden's story, and if you can't donate, please share.