Just out of med school, Dave in ICU

On behalf of two dear family members:  Trish Ognian Melia of South Lyon, MI, married an incredible and loving man, David  Melia, this past June 2016. Dave had just completed medical school and residency, which took 14 years to accomplish, but it was his dream.  He was thrilled when he received an offer from Lakes Region General Hospital in Laconia, NH.  The newlyweds happily relocated across the country so Dave could begin his career as an ER doctor and help save others.  But just a few months later, on Christmas Eve Day 2016, Dave suffered his own medical emergency that changed their lives in an instant. While having breakfast with his wife and visiting family, Dave’s aorta literally burst—and he was in a deadly situation. He was rushed into emergency surgery where doctors worked to save his life, having to resuscitate him three times. Dave made it through surgery, but then unfortunately, on top of damage already done, this trauma caused Dave to also have a stroke. Dave spent the next two months in ICU in a partial coma. And now, we are in month three, and even though Dave’s eyes are open and he is attempting to talk and move,  we do not yet know the extent of the damage done to his brain and body.

The reason we are setting up this fund is because the couple’s finances have been exhausted after three months of his hospitalization. Dave will not receive any disability assistance until after June of 2017 when he is eligible to apply. In the meantime Trish has done everything she can to make ends meet, but is simply out of resources. And now, a more critical situation has developed -- Dave's insurance is about to discontinue coverage for continued therapy.  Dave is showing signs of improvement and to discontinue therapy at this point would likely sentence him to a life of 24/7 care. The out of pocket cost to rehab at a facility that  supports this type of injury will bring a financial burden that the couple simply cannot take on.

A life altering tragedy like this brings up so many issues that must be handled that we would not think about unless we have been there ourselves. Much appreciation for your support and any donation, in any amount, it all adds up. We can’t remove the devastation to their lives but we are hoping we can at least take some of the financial stress off their shoulders.  They have a very, very long way to go and the future is uncertain.

Heartfelt thanks to you for reading, for a donation if you are able to help, and to the medical heroes that have been there for Dave this far.   And to Dave...because we know he is fighting.