Aiden Gast Medical Fund

March 7 of this year, Aiden went into sudden cardiac arrest. As a 20-year-old student/athlete, this was very unexpected. The diagnosis from the cardiologist was that Aiden had a stunned myocardium due to an arrhythmia. Like getting hit by lightning, Aiden just drew the short straw. Aiden was down, without a heartbeat, for 26 minutes. Medical providers were not optimistic about Aiden’s recovery due to the extent of his anoxic brain injury. In the last seven months, Aiden has fought bravely and tirelessly to come back from this incident. After being told that Aiden would never recognize people or relate to them in any meaningful way, Aiden talks and laughs with his nurses and therapists. Despite losing his vision, Aiden continues to make improvements in his abilities to feed himself, dress himself, learn to walk again, and interact with the world around him. He has surpassed every goal that has been set for him and every expectation that has been laid out. His recovery has been nothing short of miraculous. He knows he will never jump in the car to drive back to campus and go back to playing football, he realizes that he may never get married or have children, but with the help of equipment and therapies, Aiden is learning to live a full and happy life again in his new normal. He is fighting for every bit of recovery while finishing his final step of neurorehabilitation at Shirley Ryan Rehabilitation Hospital in Chicago, IL. His projected discharge date will be within the next month.

On top of the current medical debt that has been accrued, Aiden will continue to require ongoing therapy that is only partially covered by his insurance. It will cost the family more than $40,000 in accrued medical debt as well as out-of-pocket costs to see him through continuous speech, vision, physical, occupational and neurological therapy once he is settled back into his home.

Aiden's prognosis with this type of injury is typically very grim. Aiden has fought hard to come back from his injury and has made amazing strides, but he still has a long road ahead of him. Thank you for your support and generous donations that will allow Aiden to continue accessing the therapy and equipment needed to allow him to continue reaching and exceeding his goals.