In Loving Memory of Ronnie Bartimus
Donation protected
On April 21, Ronnie was found unconscious at his apartment and immediately rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital. The medical team was able to resuscitate Ronnie, but he has endured brain and body damage from being on cardiac arrest. Ronnie is still in the intensive care unit (ICU), but he continues to show progress each day. Ronnie is an amazing brother, son, family member, and friend, and anyone who knows him can attest that he’s one of the most caring and loving individuals that you will ever meet. With this GoFundMe page, we’re hoping to raise funds to alleviate the medical expenses that Ronnie and his family have accrued while he has been hospitalized. We want him and his family to focus on his recovery and not worry about medical expenses. Along with positive thoughts and prayers, all donations are greatly appreciated. Please share this page on your personal social pages and comment below to leave messages for Ronnie and his family.
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UPDATE – 7/7/17:
Hi Everyone,
Following up here with an update as to how Ronnie is doing.
In May, he was moved from Cedars-Sinai to Beachwood Rehab Center. However, he wasn’t receiving the adequate attention that he needed at Beachwood, so Ronnie was ultimately rushed to the ER at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica after being at the facility for just under a week. On the bright side, we are glad to report that the UCLA Medical Center Team has been great, and Ronnie has been making strides in the right direction.
Some medical updates:
- Ronnie still has a bacterial infection in his lungs (more so in the left lung than the right), but he is continuing to fight it with regular breathing treatments.
- The tracheal tube is still in place, but he’s breathing on his own.
- He’s still receiving nutrients from his stomach PEG.
- Ronnie is no longer on any antibiotics, which is great!
- However, he is on Ativan and Morphine PRN (pro re nata – which means “as needed”) as sedatives to help with his agitation/discomfort.
- The main thing that the medical team is monitoring is Ronnie’s kidney and liver enzyme levels for any negative activity (think hyper activity or spikes).
- Ronnie IS conscious (which is awesome! #WakeUpRonnie), but he is still on bed rest with limited movement. Sometimes his movement is uncontrolled while he is awake, which can lead to him jerking or tossing his legs and arms around. The sedatives help ease this uncontrolled movement.
- He has also been tracking, which means he has been responding to stimuli (including people saying his name or hearing things around the room, including noise from the TV, people talking, etc.) Although it is not fully controlled at this point, he is listening and aware as to what is going on around him.
- A couple of weeks ago, Ronnie had a medical procedure done, where the left lung was drained to remove the cumulation of liquid that had been building up over time.
- Given the fact that he is still on a couple of heavy medications, he does sleep most of the day.
VISITING:
Ronnie is now in a private room, but due to space, please contact Brenda, Brock, or Pablo to arrange a visit at the hospital.
UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica
Room 5414
1250 16th St.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Brenda: [phone redacted]
Brock: [phone redacted]
Pablo: [phone redacted]
Please continue to send positive thoughts and prayers to Ronnie and his family.
Thanks everyone!
SB
____________________________________________________________
UPDATE – 5/5/17:
More good news: Ronnie is currently breathing on his own! His lungs are getting better by the day, especially his right one, and the pneumonia is slowly going away. Yesterday, Ronnie also had a tracheal plug and stomach PEG installed, which allowed the doctors to take out the tubes running through his mouth, throat, and lungs. Ronnie is also starting to respond to stimuli. When the doctors pinch his arms and legs, he responds by lifting his appendages, and he even attempts to swat the doctors away. Additional movement includes Ronnie opening/closing his eyes, moving his mouth (coughing and yawning), and even moving his head slightly. He has also been waned off of most of his medications, which has allowed him to appear more awake. All great progress!
Additional Updates:
- The blood thinner (Heparin) that's been dissolving the distal blood clot was temporarily on hold until Ronnie healed from the tracheal plug and stomach PEG installation. However, since Ronnie did so well through the night, they now have him back on the Heparin.
- Now that Ronnie is off most of the medications, his body is showing slight increases in temperature (just above 99°F) and blood pressure. However, the medical team has assured us that this is normal, and they are monitoring his vitals continuously.
- Ronnie has enjoyed listening to his favorite hits by Selena, Mariah Carey ('90s to early 2000s), and 2Pac – and so have his nurses. #AllEyesOnMe
Keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming, and feel free to stop by and see Ronnie this weekend!
____________________________________________________________
UPDATE – 4/29/17:
Good news! Ronnie's temperature is back to normal (98.5 F), and after a recent treatment, the swelling of Ronnie's lungs have gone down a bit! AND although Ronnie still has a blood clot in his lungs, it is distal, meaning that is distant from the major pathways of the organs. All great great news!
Additional Updates:
- Ronnie is currently on a drug that numbs his body (Nimbex) and allows him to relax and get the rest that he needs. This has ultimately helped reduce the swelling of his lungs, so they are keeping him on this drug for another 24 hours.
- Ronnie still has pneumonia and there's still fluid and infection in the lungs, but he is on two heavy antibiotics (Vancomycin and Meropenem) to help fight this.
- He is also on a lighter sedative (Versed) and painkiller (Fentanyl) to help rest and withstand the general pain.
- To get the nutrients that he needs, Ronnie is also on a liquid diet (no, not THAT type of liquid diet...) consisting of Ensure and water.
- Ronnie is still reliant on the ventilator for breathing, but the respiratory specialist continues to wane the amount of oxygen that the machine emits each day.
- All vitals, including blood pressure and pulse, are looking good as well.
Keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming, and feel free to stop by and see Ronnie this weekend!
____________________________________________________________
UPDATE – 4/25/17:
Thank you everyone for the overwhelming amount of support that has been pouring in over these past few days. It's absolutely incredible to see so much love, prayers, and positive words of encouragement come through for Ronnie and his family.
Ronnie remains in the ICU, but he continues to make progress each day. It looks like no permanent brain damage has been detected, and Ronnie makes subtle movements throughout the day. He has come down with a bit of pneumonia, but he is on a couple of antibiotics and using a ventilator to assist with breathing. His vitals remain stable, and we continue to stay positive about him getting better each day.
For those of you interested in visiting, please find some details below.
Cedars-Sinai Hospital
8701 Alden Drive
Los Angeles, CA, 90048
Saperstein Building (ICU)
8th Floor
Our group is in the waiting room outside the elevators.
Lastly, we're so amazed as to how many donations we have received so far – over $14,000! Absolutely incredible. This money will help with Ronnie's medical costs (both in and out of the hospital) and necessary living expenses once he's discharged. Let's continue to spread the word to raise as many funds as possible to ensure that Ronnie and his family can focus on his recovery rather than financial burdens.
Please message me or post any questions you have, and once again, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the love and support. <3
____________________________________________________________
UPDATE – 7/7/17:
Hi Everyone,
Following up here with an update as to how Ronnie is doing.
In May, he was moved from Cedars-Sinai to Beachwood Rehab Center. However, he wasn’t receiving the adequate attention that he needed at Beachwood, so Ronnie was ultimately rushed to the ER at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica after being at the facility for just under a week. On the bright side, we are glad to report that the UCLA Medical Center Team has been great, and Ronnie has been making strides in the right direction.
Some medical updates:
- Ronnie still has a bacterial infection in his lungs (more so in the left lung than the right), but he is continuing to fight it with regular breathing treatments.
- The tracheal tube is still in place, but he’s breathing on his own.
- He’s still receiving nutrients from his stomach PEG.
- Ronnie is no longer on any antibiotics, which is great!
- However, he is on Ativan and Morphine PRN (pro re nata – which means “as needed”) as sedatives to help with his agitation/discomfort.
- The main thing that the medical team is monitoring is Ronnie’s kidney and liver enzyme levels for any negative activity (think hyper activity or spikes).
- Ronnie IS conscious (which is awesome! #WakeUpRonnie), but he is still on bed rest with limited movement. Sometimes his movement is uncontrolled while he is awake, which can lead to him jerking or tossing his legs and arms around. The sedatives help ease this uncontrolled movement.
- He has also been tracking, which means he has been responding to stimuli (including people saying his name or hearing things around the room, including noise from the TV, people talking, etc.) Although it is not fully controlled at this point, he is listening and aware as to what is going on around him.
- A couple of weeks ago, Ronnie had a medical procedure done, where the left lung was drained to remove the cumulation of liquid that had been building up over time.
- Given the fact that he is still on a couple of heavy medications, he does sleep most of the day.
VISITING:
Ronnie is now in a private room, but due to space, please contact Brenda, Brock, or Pablo to arrange a visit at the hospital.
UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica
Room 5414
1250 16th St.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Brenda: [phone redacted]
Brock: [phone redacted]
Pablo: [phone redacted]
Please continue to send positive thoughts and prayers to Ronnie and his family.
Thanks everyone!
SB
____________________________________________________________
UPDATE – 5/5/17:
More good news: Ronnie is currently breathing on his own! His lungs are getting better by the day, especially his right one, and the pneumonia is slowly going away. Yesterday, Ronnie also had a tracheal plug and stomach PEG installed, which allowed the doctors to take out the tubes running through his mouth, throat, and lungs. Ronnie is also starting to respond to stimuli. When the doctors pinch his arms and legs, he responds by lifting his appendages, and he even attempts to swat the doctors away. Additional movement includes Ronnie opening/closing his eyes, moving his mouth (coughing and yawning), and even moving his head slightly. He has also been waned off of most of his medications, which has allowed him to appear more awake. All great progress!
Additional Updates:
- The blood thinner (Heparin) that's been dissolving the distal blood clot was temporarily on hold until Ronnie healed from the tracheal plug and stomach PEG installation. However, since Ronnie did so well through the night, they now have him back on the Heparin.
- Now that Ronnie is off most of the medications, his body is showing slight increases in temperature (just above 99°F) and blood pressure. However, the medical team has assured us that this is normal, and they are monitoring his vitals continuously.
- Ronnie has enjoyed listening to his favorite hits by Selena, Mariah Carey ('90s to early 2000s), and 2Pac – and so have his nurses. #AllEyesOnMe
Keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming, and feel free to stop by and see Ronnie this weekend!
____________________________________________________________
UPDATE – 4/29/17:
Good news! Ronnie's temperature is back to normal (98.5 F), and after a recent treatment, the swelling of Ronnie's lungs have gone down a bit! AND although Ronnie still has a blood clot in his lungs, it is distal, meaning that is distant from the major pathways of the organs. All great great news!
Additional Updates:
- Ronnie is currently on a drug that numbs his body (Nimbex) and allows him to relax and get the rest that he needs. This has ultimately helped reduce the swelling of his lungs, so they are keeping him on this drug for another 24 hours.
- Ronnie still has pneumonia and there's still fluid and infection in the lungs, but he is on two heavy antibiotics (Vancomycin and Meropenem) to help fight this.
- He is also on a lighter sedative (Versed) and painkiller (Fentanyl) to help rest and withstand the general pain.
- To get the nutrients that he needs, Ronnie is also on a liquid diet (no, not THAT type of liquid diet...) consisting of Ensure and water.
- Ronnie is still reliant on the ventilator for breathing, but the respiratory specialist continues to wane the amount of oxygen that the machine emits each day.
- All vitals, including blood pressure and pulse, are looking good as well.
Keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming, and feel free to stop by and see Ronnie this weekend!
____________________________________________________________
UPDATE – 4/25/17:
Thank you everyone for the overwhelming amount of support that has been pouring in over these past few days. It's absolutely incredible to see so much love, prayers, and positive words of encouragement come through for Ronnie and his family.
Ronnie remains in the ICU, but he continues to make progress each day. It looks like no permanent brain damage has been detected, and Ronnie makes subtle movements throughout the day. He has come down with a bit of pneumonia, but he is on a couple of antibiotics and using a ventilator to assist with breathing. His vitals remain stable, and we continue to stay positive about him getting better each day.
For those of you interested in visiting, please find some details below.
Cedars-Sinai Hospital
8701 Alden Drive
Los Angeles, CA, 90048
Saperstein Building (ICU)
8th Floor
Our group is in the waiting room outside the elevators.
Lastly, we're so amazed as to how many donations we have received so far – over $14,000! Absolutely incredible. This money will help with Ronnie's medical costs (both in and out of the hospital) and necessary living expenses once he's discharged. Let's continue to spread the word to raise as many funds as possible to ensure that Ronnie and his family can focus on his recovery rather than financial burdens.
Please message me or post any questions you have, and once again, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the love and support. <3
Organizer and beneficiary
Sandy Bass
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
Brock Bartimus
Beneficiary