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These are all great things and MacUpdate is humbled to be in a position of involvement. But we wanted to do more. Typically we keep our giving private, because we don't do it for public recognition. However, this time we thought it would be nice to invite the incredible Mac community to join us to help out someone very close to us. We're not asking you to help out of pressure, but as a cheerful giver. If you want to help us raise $10,000 to help with TJ's collapsed lungs (that insurance isn't covering), we would be honored. And if you do not wish to help, that is perfectly ok.
TJ is one of the most positive people I've ever met. He has helped post new updates to the front page of MacUpdate, and inspired me in ways of reaching out to share the burdens of others. Here's his recent story:
TJ has been struggling with some serious health issues over the past few years.
Before:
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After ;)
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The short version is as follows:
February of '05 TJ and his wife Theresa get the flu on a plane returning from Vegas, Theresa got better, TJ didn't.
The flu turned into pneumonia, and just kept getting worse until he finally had to go to the emergency room with severe sepsis. He spent the next five weeks in the cardiac intensive care unit at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, and almost died twice. While treating him for septic shock it was discovered that he was suffering from severe Pericarditis - The membrane surrounding the heart was inflamed and squeezing the heart. Emergency open heart surgery to remove the pericardium saved his life.
Physical therapy after that worked for a while, then, his breathing and blood oxygen levels started going downhill. Sarcoidosis was suspected, but two scope biopsy's of the lungs failed to turn up anything conclusive.
It was decided to do an Open Lung biopsy. Normally a person is home in about three days, but the biopsy site refused to heal, and the Sarcoidosis the surgeon found was the worst she had ever seen. After three weeks of negative pressure at the chest tubes it was decided to go back in and try to repair the hole. That repair held for a day, then the lung collapsed and they had to insert a new chest tube, and the incision site became infected and a lot of muscle had to be removed on his back.
It was decided to transfer TJ to the University of Michigan Hospital for a transplant work up, and so they could use some specialized equipment to enable his back to heal.
All told, TJ spent the whole summer of '07 in hospital, and had a chest tube for seventy three days.
Doctors have decided that the life expectancy outlook is better trying to manage his current conditions than a transplant at this point, but for a guy that used to run six miles a day, and mountain bike, life is quite a bit different now.
They've been maintaining a pretty positive attitude through all of this, and the kids are managing quite well, but, unfortunately, Theresa's nurses salary is getting stretched pretty thinly with TJ's home oxygen bills, the many prescriptions, and frequent co-pays for doctors visits.
