Support Jim Cantu's Road to Recovery

On March 4, 2024, Jim Cantu of Schererville, IN was having a normal day at work at Lake Central School Corporation where he has been employed in the maintenance department for over 30 years, when he noticed a sharp pain in his chest and his vision turned white. He was taken to St. Margaret Mercy hospital where he was diagnosed with low blood pressure and dehydration. Over the next 24 hours while he was recuperating at home, he noticed shortness of breath which turned into gasping for air. He was rushed back to St. Margaret Mercy hospital where it was found he had an aortic dissection and needed to be rushed to Northwestern in Chicago for emergency surgery. While in surgery to repair the dissection, his heart stopped causing no blood flow or oxygen to his brain for 5 minutes. His post-surgery CT scan showed a mark in his occipital lobe and the neuro team did not believe at that time that he had suffered a stroke.

Once Jim was able to have an MRI, the spot in the occipital lobe was determined to be not one, but several small strokes throughout his brain. His eyes were still reacting to light and his pupils constricting. At this point, Jim had still not woken up, but the doctors were confident that he would but did not know what his mental status would be when he woke up. A nurse had initially asked his family if he would really want to live like this and that they could allow him to go peacefully. She stated that this was her field and she had seen many brain scans and if she saw one like his, especially at his age, she would not expect a great outcome. Though there were mixed feelings and fear, they went ahead and put in a trach and feeding tube, having faith that he would wake up and be able to recover. He was then transferred to a 24/7 care facility in Crown Point until he could go through rehabilitation.

On April 14, 2024, at the same 24/7 care facility, Jim went into septic shock with a blood oxygen level of approximately 80 due to lack of proper care and had to be rushed to Methodist Hospital in Merrillville. There doctors discovered that he not only had untreated pneumonia, but also developed sepsis (causing the septic shock), Steven-Johnson Syndrome (due to allergies to medicine) and was bleeding from his scrotum due to the rashes and bed sores he had developed. He also had blood discharging from any opening in his body: his eye ducts, ears, nose, and mouth. At the time, he could not even open his eyes due to the discharge sealing them shut. He remained in their ICU for about 1-2 weeks, and then he was transferred to another 24/7 care facility in East Chicago within St. Catherine's Hospital. There he received the care he needed and was able to go to Saint Margaret Mercy in Dyer for intensive physical rehabilitation a few weeks later.

Thankfully Jim has woken up and is now able to walk but will have a very long road to recovery. With the extent of his injuries, doctors will not know what his new baseline will be for several years.

On May 20th, Jim was released from the rehabilitation center due to insurance issues. He is now working on his recovery at home. As you can imagine, the medical expenses have added up significantly as he went to 6 hospitals (counting Saint Margaret Mercy twice for the initial ER visit to his final visit 2 months later for physical rehab) and all funds raised will go directly to his medical bills, as well as his care while at home to continue his road to recovery. For as much as Jim has done for others, we want to support him and his family in their time of need. Jim is a husband to Suzanne, father to Hannah and Gavin, brother, and wonderful friend.

Any donation is greatly appreciated and please continue to pray for Jim and his entire family. Thank you!