Support Michael's Family Through Recovery

On Wednesday evening, 05/29/2024 at 9pm, I received a text that my brother, Michael was being air-lifted to Iowa City Hospital from Genesis East in Davenport, IA. I immediately called my mother to find out what happened and she explained that earlier that day, after picking his 3 youngest kids up from school, Michael expressed a concern for chest pain he was having and requested to his wife that he go to the hospital. I'm extremely grateful that he took his pain seriously! Had he hesitated to ask for help, he may not have made it...

Upon arriving at the hospital via ambulance, we discovered that Michael experienced and aortic dissection, which ultimately means that his ascending aorta, the primary artery in the heart, tore open. While the symptoms and result are similar to an aortic aneurysm, the onset is different. A dissection happens when one of the 3 layers of the artery has a tear, creating a blood pocket that eventually puts enough pressure on the remaining layers of the artery, causing a burst. These initiating tears can happen as a result of trauma to the chest, high blood pressure, or mere family history. My brother did not have any chest trauma nor high blood pressure, so our best guess is that he inherited this condition, which came on completely unexpectedly!

Thankfully, my brother received fantastic and quick care from his doctors and, after an 11 hour emergency open heart surgery, he has had his aorta fixed and is recovering swiftly! He spent 5 days in the ICU where he exceeded the doctor's expectations for recovery and arrived home a week early!

My brother is a loving a supportive father, running two businesses simultaneously to make ends meet for his 4 children, the youngest of which is just about to turn 5. Unfortunately, my brother doesn't make money if his businesses don't run. His wife, Jessica, has been running her own business, while taking care of one of my brother's businesses on the weekends, and also taking care of their young children, leaving very little time for her to be by his side. She cannot afford to get paid help or take any time off of work to tend to her own trauma or be with my brother, because they need to work to live. They haven't yet seen what the hospital bills might be, but I don't imagine that the ICU is cheap!

My brother and his wife are modest and humble people who do not want to ask for "too much". Any money donated will go toward medical bills, but my sincerest hope is that I will be able to raise enough to allow my sister-in-law some time to rest. She has been non-stop the past week covering their businesses, taking care of their kids, and visiting my brother. I only know for certain that, if I were in her shoes, I would love nothing more than the peace of mind to be able to snuggle my hubby in bed for just one day.

My brother will not be able to go back to work for at least another 6 weeks, so Jessica will be forced to work 2 jobs, 7 days a week, until his full recovery unless she receives outside assistance. Please consider donating to them so that they might find a little more comfort while the entire family recovers from this very near-death experience.