The McClimans Family

On Friday, March 18th, 2022, at approximately 1:00 am, Cherise McClimans awoke to her husband Meredith gasping for air. She quickly realized Meredith had stopped breathing and had gone into cardiac arrest. She immediately called 911 and began CPR. Paramedics soon arrived at their house and attempted to resuscitate Meredith. They continued CPR and tried to defibrillate Meredith’s heart. By the time they arrived at the hospital, Meredith’s heart had started beating again, but he remained unconscious. He was listed in critical condition and placed on life support.

 

Initial tests showed no evidence of any blood clotting or circulation problems with Meredith’s heart. He is an incredibly healthy 41-year-old man who exercises regularly and has no family history of cardiovascular disease. He doesn’t smoke, nor does he drink anything that contains alcohol or caffeine. His doctors suspect an arrhythmia may have triggered his cardiac arrest, but they are uncertain. Subsequent testing revealed the cardiac arrest caused Meredith to suffer a massive stroke, but it was unclear how extensive the brain damage was.

 

Meredith’s first week in the hospital was pretty bleak. He occasionally opened his eyes and moved his hands, but was for the most part unresponsive. He showed few signs of improvement, so he was kept on life support and sedated. His physicians were convinced he wouldn’t recover, and Cherise was forced to accept that her husband might not make it. That all changed on March 24th! Meredith regained consciousness and began responding to stimulation. He made eye contact with people, held their hands, scratched his arms and legs, and tried to remove his intubation/feeding tubes. Meredith’s doctors reassessed his condition and determined he was on the path toward recovery. He has since been extubated and is breathing on his own. He will continue working with the medical staff at the hospital as they evaluate his cognitive abilities so they can prescribe treatment and rehabilitation that meets Meredith’s needs.

 

Meredith McClimans works as a Substation Test Tech Technician for Riverside Public Utilities. Given his current prognosis, it is highly unlikely that Meredith will be able to return to work in the immediate future. His recovery could easily take several months, if not longer. His wife, Cherise, is a stay-at-home mom with four young boys to care for. Although they have an extensive network of friends and family who are helping, it will be impossible for them to cover their expenses without Meredith’s income. We are working to raise as much money as we can to support the McClimans family in their time of need. Your donations are very much appreciated, as are your continued prayers for his recovery.

 

Kind regards,

Trace