Getting Debi & Herm Magamoll Home

Late August Debi and Herm went on a trip to their home in Tennessee. What was supposed to be a quick long weekend,  turned into a battle for Herm's life.  Herm began not feeling well and Debi took him to a local hospital where it was found he was having heart attack and needed to get to a larger hospital in Knoxville, Tenn. where they are better equipped for this severe medical emergency. The only way to get him to the Knoxville Hospital was by air flight. Herm was life flighted to the hospital immediately.

Upon arrival to the Knoxville Hospital, Herm went directly into catheterization surgery where they discovered they needed to have a double Bypass surgery. During that surgery,  they discovered that there was no blood flow to Herm's leg and the leg its self was dying.  After the bypass surgery was complete Herm was placed in the ICU on intubation and in grave danger due to the lack of blood flow to his leg.  Although Herm still had not regained consciousness he had stabilized  enough from the previous surgery to be able to go back into a second surgery with the hope to save his leg. Unfortunately, it was found the leg could not be saved and a third surgery would have to be scheduled to amputate the leg.  At this point, Herm was still unconscious, and Debi was living at his bed side having to make these decisions while alone and away from all of their friends and family. The final surgery was preformed and Herm's leg was amputated. During this surgery their children flew in to be there in support of their mom and dad, but naturally, had to fly back home to their lives and families.

On Debi's birthday, Sunday September 2, to everyone's great relief Herm was taken off of life support and woke up. About a week later he was transferred out of ICU. However, this is not the end of their struggle. Now, Herm is having to not only recover from full double bypass open heart surgery with a sternum that has been broken open, battled pneumonia, he is also having to go through the recovery and therapy from having an amputated limb.  All while being stuck alone in Knoxville where Debi's only place to stay is  bed-side with Herm, away from home and all of her their support systems.

Herm will have to do hospitalized recovery and therapy for an unknown amount of time. Given that Debi is still working as the Principal's Secretary at Rock Lake Middle School in Seminole County, she can not continue living in the hospital room,  and they need to get back home to Longwood. Debi has found a rehab hospital that has the ability to care for Herm throughout this very long and incredibly painful recovery. The doctors have said the only way Herm can be safely transported here is by ambulance.  The Hospital has obtained a medical transport company who can get Herm home,  but will cost approximately $6400.00 to $10,000.00 and it will not be covered by insurance.  She also has been told that she will have to restructure her home to accommodate Herm's mobility needs in the future.

This is where we can all pull together and help Debi get her husband get home and get their lives pulled back together.  Any amount of donation will help them so much throughout this very long and difficult journey they are and will continue to be on.