Funds for Burial of an Amazing Father
Donation protected
I had an Amazing Father named Antonio Gonzalez Rico. Who was born on August 25, 1961 and died December 28, 2018, a week before getting the Liver Transplant that would have saved his life.
He was a hardworking man who had been working from age 22 since he loved doing physical labor and being just active. When he was 38 or 39, He began to work for the City of Port Hueneme as a Landscaper up until 2018 when he was too weak to return for normal duty due to complications from his Liver Cirrhosis and was placed in Sick Leave. He was depressed from not working but he still try to be happy by telling me and my mother (his wife) to not be sad and to celebrate holidays like Halloween.
My name is Antonio Gonzalez Jr and I as his son tried my best for him to get the Liver Transplant. I even offered my own Liver as I had the same blood type as him but even with a willing donor, they could not do the transplant until he got listed first on the Liver Transplant Waiting List. To get listed you need to do three exams: Heart Test, Lung Test and Colonoscopy. We were able to do Heart and Lung Test but the Colonoscopy had failed twice due to Ascites build up (Body fluid caused by Liver Cirrhosis) that prevented the full viewing of the colon.
Due to the Insurance being an HMO, while it did pay for his medical exams it took days and even months for each major test to be approved since both the Insurance Company and USC would go back and forth on who's facilities to do it on. This would be the Catalyst for his death since it took an entire year from first being recommended a transplant on December 27, 2017 to finally being approved one on December 16, 2018 after being taken to USC due to the Right Lung being filled with Ascites and his Blood Pressure being low.
On Friday December 21st, I got the news that my dad was going to be moved out of the ICU on the 7th floor of USC to the 6th Floor to await Transplant that was supposed to happen the week after. On Sunday December 23rd, he would get an infection in his Lung that he would not recover from. On Wednesday, December 26th I would be told that they had to cancel the Liver Transplant and that he was going to die in two days. The Infection in his Lung mixed with Pneumonia and his already frail skinny body made the surgery impossible. On Friday, December 28th at 11am, he died surrounded by his wife, his son and his daughter (who traveled from the Northern area of California). He was 57 years old.
As of now, I been trying to get the funds for his burial. I love my father, I tried my best to get him the transplant that would have saved his life but this is all I can offer him now, I failed to save him with the transplant. So I at least have to try to succeed in getting him a proper burial.
He was a hardworking man who had been working from age 22 since he loved doing physical labor and being just active. When he was 38 or 39, He began to work for the City of Port Hueneme as a Landscaper up until 2018 when he was too weak to return for normal duty due to complications from his Liver Cirrhosis and was placed in Sick Leave. He was depressed from not working but he still try to be happy by telling me and my mother (his wife) to not be sad and to celebrate holidays like Halloween.
My name is Antonio Gonzalez Jr and I as his son tried my best for him to get the Liver Transplant. I even offered my own Liver as I had the same blood type as him but even with a willing donor, they could not do the transplant until he got listed first on the Liver Transplant Waiting List. To get listed you need to do three exams: Heart Test, Lung Test and Colonoscopy. We were able to do Heart and Lung Test but the Colonoscopy had failed twice due to Ascites build up (Body fluid caused by Liver Cirrhosis) that prevented the full viewing of the colon.
Due to the Insurance being an HMO, while it did pay for his medical exams it took days and even months for each major test to be approved since both the Insurance Company and USC would go back and forth on who's facilities to do it on. This would be the Catalyst for his death since it took an entire year from first being recommended a transplant on December 27, 2017 to finally being approved one on December 16, 2018 after being taken to USC due to the Right Lung being filled with Ascites and his Blood Pressure being low.
On Friday December 21st, I got the news that my dad was going to be moved out of the ICU on the 7th floor of USC to the 6th Floor to await Transplant that was supposed to happen the week after. On Sunday December 23rd, he would get an infection in his Lung that he would not recover from. On Wednesday, December 26th I would be told that they had to cancel the Liver Transplant and that he was going to die in two days. The Infection in his Lung mixed with Pneumonia and his already frail skinny body made the surgery impossible. On Friday, December 28th at 11am, he died surrounded by his wife, his son and his daughter (who traveled from the Northern area of California). He was 57 years old.
As of now, I been trying to get the funds for his burial. I love my father, I tried my best to get him the transplant that would have saved his life but this is all I can offer him now, I failed to save him with the transplant. So I at least have to try to succeed in getting him a proper burial.
Organizer
Antonio Gonzalez Rico
Organizer
Port Hueneme, CA
