Supporting Joey LaRosa

Joey recently had a routine tonsillectomy without any complications. Several days after, he started to develop fevers that temporarily went away with antibiotics, but came back shortly after. He wasn’t quick to admit it, but Joey was feeling worse and worse. Thankfully, he agreed to go to the ER last weekend where he was treated for sepsis and admitted to the hospital. Joey has a blood infection, likely from his tonsillectomy. The bacteria has accumulated in a spot on his heart, creating what’s called ‘vegetation’ on his mitral valve. He will need open heart surgery to eliminate the infection and replace his mitral valve. As if this wasn’t enough for the LaRosa family to process, part of the vegetation broke off and traveled to Joey’s brain, causing a small stroke, which doctors are confident will resolve on its own. They continue to treat Joey with antibiotics and close monitoring.

Thank God - He is awake, alert, cracking jokes, and functioning completely normal while he prepares for heart surgery this week. No one could have predicted this series of events, and as you can imagine, Joey has a long road ahead of him. It’s too soon to know exactly how long recovery will be for him or what his future as a paramedic will look like. One thing we know for sure though - Joey is surrounded by an army of family and friends that want to help, so we have created this page to support Joey on his journey.