Support Julian's Recovery After Heart Attack

Dear friends, family, and community,

On July 4th, 2023, our beloved father, Dr. Julian A. Priester, experienced a life-altering event. After returning home from a friend's house, he suffered a heart attack and was immediately rushed to the emergency room. Thanks to the skilled hands of the medical team, an emergency stint was placed into his artery, saving his life.

Although the heart attack was a terrifying ordeal, we were grateful that our father survived it and the subsequent operation. However, during his recovery, we received the difficult news that he has Chronic Heart Failure (CHF), a condition that challenges his heart's ability to pump blood efficiently. Further evaluations revealed two other arteries with significant blockages, which put him at risk of death.

Throughout his hospitalization, our father faced various challenges, including dizziness, shortness of breath, and fluid overload in his lungs. There were moments of immense fear as he suffered two code blue cardiac arrests. Our resilient father fought through each crisis and, against the odds, regained consciousness.

The medical team discovered that his heart rate was arrhythmic, and his blood pressure would drop while standing, signaling inadequate blood flow to his arteries. To address this, the doctors successfully performed another surgery, inserting two more stents, and later decided on a pacemaker to regulate his heart rate.

As we write this, our father has been in the hospital for three weeks. The road to recovery has been arduous, and from a medical standpoint, he is not yet stable for discharge. The plan forward involves a skilled nursing facility, where he will receive the physical and occupational therapy needed to regain strength.

As his children, we are deeply committed to ensuring the best care possible for our father as he enters this challenging phase of his life. While we explore all avenues, we have come to the realization that living alone is no longer a safe option for him. We are in the process of applying for Medicaid to help with the cost of his care, but we need your help.

Today, we humbly reach out to our community, asking for support to raise funds for our father's long-term care after he is discharged from the hospital. Your generous contributions will be used to cover outstanding hospital bills, medications, home health, adult family, assisted living or personal care expenses, and all aspects of building a comprehensive care plan for him.

Our father, Dr. Julian A. Priester, is a respected man, known both in our local community and beyond. Although he values his privacy, we have decided to let go of some of that privacy to seek assistance for his well-being. We are deeply grateful for any help you can offer in helping us provide the care and support he needs during this challenging time.

Thank you for your kind contributions and for standing with us in supporting the honorable Dr. Julian A. Priester.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Adebayo, Atuanya & Claudette (Dr. Priester's Children)