Zack Donaldson

Zack Donaldson, 22, of Mt. Vernon was in a near fatal car accident Saturday, November 2nd.  Zack was care flighted to Tyler where it was discovered he sustained MAJOR head trauma, a fractured pelvis, mandible, & ribs, damage to bilateral carotid arteries, & a collapsed left lung. He underwent surgery immediately for his brain bleed. He was then admitted into ICU where he remains at this time. Reflexes were come & go. Swelling of his right head & face would get worse & then improve. The trauma surgeon scheduled Zack for surgery to repair the fractured mandible for the following day. Tuesday was a set back for a STAT CT scan showed that Zack had a stroke. Surgery was then cancelled. Medications were started to reduce the swelling on his brain because at the time, it was not improving. However, reflexes to his left side were present to some extent. The following day one of his Dr’s mentioned that he wouldn’t necessarily agree with the reading of the CT scan. Zack began showing minor improvements with his reflexes & neuro assessments. Swelling improved & his team of Dr’s cleared him to proceed with the surgery he was scheduled to have previously. They were able to put two plates & several screws to repair his jaw. Surgery went very well & Zack did awesome. He opened his left eye yesterday for over a minute. The extent of his injuries from the head trauma & possible stroke are unknown at this time as to wether or not how physically limited Zack may or may not be in the days ahead. PT & OT will start working with him Monday. While he has shown us all that he’s fighting, he continues to remain critical. Zack has a VERY long road ahead of him with the assistant that will be required from his family during his recovery period. Zack has living expenses that continue to come in. His mother who now lives in a Fort Worth has not been able to work since the accident & does not want to leave her son’s side, for good reasons. Plans for his recovery will likely include continued PT/OT therapy as outpatient, possibly more surgeries, & MAJOR dental work in the days ahead. Financial stress is a completely separate stress for his family at this time. Any contribution, big or small, would be so very much appreciated! Thank you all for the prayers & reaching out to our family during this time. Please continue to pray for Zack, Kassie, & Zack’s siblings.