John is on his way for his lung transplant

Update 06/09/2020:

Thanks to God, and after some back and forth with lawyers, perseverant planning by John's family and friends, and media attention. The hospital's legal counsel has said that there will not be any withdrawal of ECMO happening on Friday. There will be another meeting to discuss the "plan of care". We are apprehensive, still, because the last "plan of care" meeting was about withdrawing ECMO as soon as the meeting ended.
We've won one battle but the war is not over. Doctors are here to save lives, not take them away.  We are to make sure that it stays that way.

"Labor of Love"

Love: The most important contribution a person can make to anyone’s life. This love was shared with friends, family, and coworkers.

When someone needs help...who do we turn to? To family, friends — anyone kind enough to offer their support. During difficult moments it may be a challenge to signal that need for help when you have so many other things taking up your mind. That’s where I come in. I am signaling that need for my sister and her two sons. My beloved brother-in-law, my sister’s husband, has been fighting for his life for over 2 months. It is unsure how much longer he can go. Doctors do not believe his time here on earth to belong. However much we may not like it, we are preparing for the worst. My dearest family and friends —my sister’s family needs our support.

For those who know my brother-in-law, you know everything you need to know about why he is so beloved. For those who don’t, allow me to quickly introduce you to the most extraordinary person I’ve had the blessing to call family.

Growing up, John lived in poverty in his home country. Lost his father as a toddler and at nine-years-old is when he began to work as a shoe-shining boy in the streets of his home country in order to support his mom and siblings. Without two shirts to his name, John was filled with a

desire to live a better life. He persevered through all obstacles to go to college, give himself an education, and marry the love of his life, Katy, my sister. They both had great jobs and lived a comfortable life, but that wasn’t enough — they wanted a better environment for their son to grow up in.

20 years ago, filled with the desire to give their first son an opportunity greater than what could be afforded in their home country, John and Katy made the life-changing decision to immigrate to the United States. Moving to a completely new country was not an easy choice for them. What followed next were many more years filled with adversity and financial hardship — obstacles that John was very familiar with. Two years later their second son was born and the family of 3 became a family of 4.

Despite those hardships, they were driven completely by the love that they have for their children — so they persevered. Despite the odds, after many years of hard physical labor, he was laid off from his job during the 2008 recession. Making the best out of the bad situation, John started a small drywall business to support his family. He hired a few people and worked tirelessly day and night, day after day – sacrificing his body and mind for his two sons and his wife. John was able to give his children a life he was never able to have both financially and emotionally. With John’s incredibly hard work and sacrifice -- the business was able to give a comfortable life for his wife and kids, but not for himself, and never enough to prepare for the worst.

Then the worst happened.

COVID-19 wreaked havoc on this family’s life. Starting with Katy, then the kids, and then John. The entire household experienced the novel coronavirus. John was hit with the worst.

On his 54th birthday, he was admitted into the hospital due to severe respiratory complications. The following day he was intubated, sedated, and taken to a quarantine ward. At this moment, the family knew that Johns’s odds of survival were not in his favor. They were distraught – they began going through a situation no one would have imagined to have hit and a situation that I would not wish upon anybody. For his family and friends every day that went by was filled with agony, anxiety, and uncertainty but never without hope and never without faith in God’s power to help John beat the odds.

After 17 days, Johns experienced complete respiratory failure until a point where support from the ventilator was no longer enough and then he was placed on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) in order to keep his blood supplied with adequate oxygen to survive. Despite the life support, every day that John is in the hospital he is in danger of dying. The family knows this all too well as John experienced COVID-19 sepsis, thrombosis, bacterial sepsis, sudden cardiac arrest, brain hemorrhage – all of which could have either killed his body or his brain.

Despite the odds and complications, with God’s blessing, John powered through and is still alive today. Awake, responding to stimuli, and moving. But the medical intervention can only do so much — we are unsure how much longer John has. He’s in the best hands possible. He is in God’s hands.

So we come to you, family, friends, and maybe even kind strangers. We ask you for your help. That you may reach into your hearts and help this family. We ask only for a small contribution and to spread the message.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please stay safe and hold on to the people that you.

This was written by Nepwew Patrick John son's and Lorena my cousin, sister in law. 


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Hoy por el.. mañana tal vez por nosotros.

Vamos John!!! Tu puedes salir de esta enfermedad!! Le rogamos a Dios por su recuperación pronta.