Guillermo Family Support

UPDATE 6/25/23 - It is with a broken heart, I have to announce the death of my dad, Mark Guillermo. Dad passed away early this morning at 3:59 am, in the Barnes Jewish Hospital SICU. He fought so hard for all of us, and he gave it his all. Unfortunately, his body succumbed to all of the injuries, surgeries, and subsequent infections that followed. We were all beyond blessed to have had him as our father, husband, family, and friend. Dad was one of a kind, and he will be missed. All further donations will cover funeral expenses, medical bills, and living expenses for our family. We appreciate each and every one of you and want to thank you all for your prayers, love, and continued support.

No arrangements have been made at this time, more details to follow.

On Saturday, May 27th, our dad Mark Guillermo was severely injured in a motorcycle accident. We don't have all of the details other than he was riding his bike on Old Lemay Ferry when he struck a utility pole causing life-threatening injuries. His right lower leg was amputated on impact and had it not been for an off-duty police officer being at the right place at the right time to quickly apply a tourniquet he wouldn't have made it to the hospital.

Upon arrival at Barnes Jewish Hospital, Dad was rushed directly into the OR to begin what became the first of over 20 surgeries. His femoral artery had been severed in the crash and as a result, he was losing blood as fast as they were giving it. They placed him on massive blood transfusion protocol and over the first 48 hours, my dad had his entire blood volume replaced 10 times over. In fact, he went through all of the blood compatible with his type in the entire hospital, and the Red Cross stepped in and supplied him directly to continue to try to save his life until all surgeries could be completed to stop the extensive internal bleeding. In the first surgery, we were told they had to sacrifice the rest of his right leg and pelvis for him to even have a chance to survive. From there he has been overcoming one obstacle after another. Aorta dissection, removal of several feet of both large and small intestines, part of the colon, gallbladder, repair of the bladder, pulmonary embolism, multiple chest tubes, colostomy bag, dialysis, back surgery, and traction to aid in the reattachment of the left pelvis. He has many further surgeries to go, both in the near future and down the road. He is still in critical condition, with things changing from hour to hour. There are several other broken bones and less severe injuries that will be treated once we stabilize him. Tomorrow he will go in for spinal surgery for a fracture at T5. Following that surgery, we are hoping to start weaning him off the ventilator in the next few days.

I am 19 years old now, and a sophomore at Saint Louis University. My sister, Taylor, just turned 17 and will be going into her senior year at Affton High School in the fall. She is a captain of the Volleyball team and my dad is her biggest fan! I completed my first year at SLU, achieved the Dean’s List, and my Dad could never be caught without mentioning my aspirations and successes. He is one of my biggest supporters. Although we are no longer little girls, we will always be his little girls. My parent's 20th wedding anniversary is coming up in September, and my mom, Tina, would be lost without my dad. She hasn't left the hospital, and won't leave his side. He is her best friend and the love of her life. She is ready for anything he may need and will be an amazing and supportive caregiver.

So many people know and love our dad, and have reached out asking how to help. Any contributions would be greatly appreciated as we try to navigate what our “new normal” will look like. We don't know yet what is to come- one thing we do know for sure is that my dad is now disabled and will not be able to return to work. He will be wheelchair-bound for some time and we will need to retrofit our home to make it wheelchair accessible, along with our living expenses, medical bills, rehabilitation, physical and occupational therapy, prosthetics, and possibly even a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.

My dad's injuries are life-changing, and he will need all of our love, and support to get him through this. Any amount will help, and if you can't donate- please share, pray, and keep us in your thoughts! Thank you.