Medical Expenses

We’re Courtney and Chrissy Youngborg - we’ve decided to make this fundraiser on behalf of our sister, Allie. Her husband and family have had an intense couple of years while David battles a rare disease called Neuro Sarcoidoisis. He’s gone through multiple brain surgeries, a bout of sepsis and meningitis and multiple lengthy hospital stays. While David can surely be considered lucky to be alive it has not been an easy journey for him or his family. The disease has left him with a long journey ahead of him and pushed our sister back into the workforce after being a stay at home mom to their 3 Littles for the last 7+ years. This latest hospital stay has proved to be the most difficult in terms of logistics thus far as Allie has moved to TN to be with our parents while David began a new employment opportunity in OR (with the plan to reunite in OR when David had settled in and found a rental). While in OR David had another flare of the disease which ultimately ended in loss of the job, major car accident and another hospital stay. We got Allie back to California but everything has just been such a strain for them for the last couple of years that we wanted to do something to share their story and bring together their community for support. Any help is greatly appreciated as well as thoughts and prayers. Thank you!

UPDATE/DETAILS: When David was transported to UCSF he was at risk for neurological demise due to the lesions that have fiercely come back in his brain; causing damage, swelling, inflammation and return of hydrocephalus. His kidneys were struggling once again and there was concern of damage to his heart, the co2 levels in his blood had become dangerously high and he was placed on a ventilator to give his brain and body time to heal as well as bring his co2 levels down. The neurology and neurosurgery team determined extremely high dose steroids were enough to bring the inflammation down and begin to resolve the hydrocephalus that no drain or another shunt was needed.

David was able to come off the ventilator and tolerated extubation well; he has undergone a battery of more testing including a second lumbar puncture, various scans, an echocardiogram, an ultrasound on his brain…the list goes on. There have been setbacks, like a return to the icu after briefly going to the transitional floor and a discovery of a small stroke…but to all of our surprise he was able to become stable enough the doctors determined he could leave the hospital for a more healing setting as long as he is being closely monitored.

With a multitude of even more prescriptions added to his regimen, wearing a heart monitor for the next 30 days and immediate follow up with a team of specialists, regular bloodwork, two more mri’s already on the schedule…he was able to be discharged from the hospital.

The next day we traveled to Palo Alto to the neurosciences building to meet with an amazing neurologist who is working to expedite his acceptance into the Stanford sarcoidosis clinic where there feels like hope for the first time in two years for the future.

Allison had just gone back to work in order to provide for their family and had only been working for a few weeks when she had to get to San Francisco; after settling David in at his dads house in Livermore, she had to fly back to Tennessee to care for the kids and get back to work. There’s a long road ahead, as David needs to be in California for the right medical care at Stanford and UCSF and the family is left with no choice but to be apart during the most difficult time-that’s just how the circumstances have worked out. Please pray for them as David’s health is still very vulnerable with a lot of unknown, for their family spending this Christmas apart and for their long road to rebuilding their life after devastation.

Throughout this journey they depleted their savings, their only vehicle was totaled (they think David had a seizure which caused the crash), they were forced to get rid of the majority of their possessions and leave their home in California and now the expenses continue to pour in-from medication costs, medical bills, Allison has to pay out of pocket back to her company for their insurance premiums since she wasn’t getting paid while taking time off to be with David…even the parking at the hospital cost $35 a day! Our family appreciates all support and all prayers, it has truly been a series of miracles that David is still with us today. Thank you!