Support Vince’s Family: Help Honor His Memory

Our lives took a dramatic turn on July 6th, 2024. I took my husband Vince, better known as Vito, to the ER for what we believed to be symptoms of a flu or cold which had not improved over the span of a week. Little did we know, the events to follow would lead him to be hospitalized in the ICU, fighting for his life. Upon entering the ER, we were told his blood sugars were exceedingly high; Vince is a type 2 diabetic. His sugars were so high in fact that his body was going into what’s called DKA, a complication of diabetes in which acids build up in the blood to levels that can be life-threatening. We were also informed that he had developed pneumonia, which in his case was very serious since infection feeds off of sugar. This led to a rapid increase in his heart rate and a decrease in oxygen. At around 6 am on July 7th, he unfortunately coded and was down for three counts of CPR. By the graciousness of our Heavenly Father and the quick acting efforts of these skilled nurses, he was resuscitated and quickly connected to an ECMO machine for his heart. During the first week after his cardiac arrest, we also learned he had developed a rare bacteria named Streptococcus pyogenes in his lungs. Despite all odds, Vince has made tremendous improvements including no longer needing the ECMO, showing no signs of anoxic brain injury on his MRI, and he is now on a lower setting for his ventilation. He has not quite woken up yet but he is able to open his eyes from time to time. His body has been through so much trauma and we are praying he continues to make positive strides in progress. Our next battle at hand is to minimize the pneumonia and strep pyogenes, which so far seems to be responding well to the antibiotics. Little by little, Vince continues to fight and cross off each obstacle on a lengthy checklist to recovery. At this time and due to Covid numbers increasing around us, we ask that visitors remain to only family. We appreciate everyone’s love, prayers, and support during this time.

It’s very hard for me to put into words the overwhelming impact this has taken on our family. My husband is a very hardworking man, but we were not prepared for anything like this to happen. Now, as bills continue to roll in and long term medical goals are being discussed, I find myself in need of your help. Being a paraprofessional who doesn’t get paid in the summer and will now have to file for unpaid FMLA to be able to care for Vince, we find ourselves with no steady income at the moment. So…… If you can please find it in your heart to share what you can, even just reposting will go a long way. I humbly and wholeheartedly thank you, with everything I am. Thank you all for your generosity, and thank you for your prayers ❤️

Update: Unfortunately on July 27th, Vincent Gabriel Espindola gained his wings and answered GOD’s call. He fought for 3 long weeks but his brain never recovered. The kids and I will miss him with every breathe we take. He was our rock, our pillar. He was an old kind soul who LOVED to talk crap…. Especially to charger fans. He had such a great memory. He was everything I’m not. He was my better half….. 

Thank you everyone for all your support! Thank you all for reaching out, thank you for your prayers! And thank you for your generosity ❤️