Dan Jensen and His Family Need Help

On October 9, 2022, Dan Jensen collapsed while on vacation in a remote area in northern MN. It took an hour for the ambulance to get to him and transport him to the nearest emergency room, where he was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm and was immediately on a life flight to Duluth, Minnesota.

Upon arrival, he underwent a 7-hour emergency open heart surgery to repair the tear in his aorta with mesh. 2 days later, still intubated and sedated in ICU cardiac care, the tear grew. He was not stable enough for another open heart surgery, so a stent was placed as a temporary measure to stop the tear’s progression. CT scans and an MRI show that he has suffered several strokes.

As of 10-16, he is off the ventilator, chest tubes removed, and breathing independently; however, he has not communicated or become "fully conscious." He shows no response in his right arm and has minimal movement in his right leg.

The doctors will not know the extent of the stroke damage until he can communicate. Dan’s “care team” consists of specialists from neurology, physical therapy, respiration therapy, cardiac care, etc., while he remains in ICU.

The doctors state this will be a long hard recovery and cannot predict how long it will take. In his current critical condition, there is no chance of a transfer to a hospital back home in Illinois. He will require a second open heart surgery to make a permanent repair as soon as he’s well enough to tolerate it. We remain hopeful that he moves in the direction of recovery!

His family is staying minutes away in a hotel, and the expenses just for their room and food are quickly adding up, over $4000 a month alone for lodging (They are in the least expensive hotel they could find that offers a medical discount). The family needs help!

Dan, or “PapaD” is known throughout his community for his generosity – he’s always willing to lend a hand and do what needs to be done. He’s worked hard his whole life to provide for his family. Please give whatever you can; money is desperately needed, and any amount will mean so much. Our family is steadfast in prayer, and we ask that you join us in asking for a complete recovery. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts!