Daniel Medical Costs and Family Fund

On September 6th, my brother Daniel got into an bad car accident that put him into the hospital. He has since been in the hospital and has been in and out of the ICU. He has had about 7 surgeries total since the accident and he is currently in the ICU. 

The long treatment and what is to be expectedly a long recovery will be incredibly difficult and financially exhausting for Daniel’s household. They have had a very difficult time the past couple years, and are need of any assistance that can be given.

My brother had been living with my parents and raising his three children there, with their help. My father wanted to give details on the situation to add, and here is his statement:

Daniel had a car accident driving home, where he had lost control of his vehicle and impacted a pickup truck.  He was critically injured.  Thankfully, he had his seat belt on, or would have not survived the crash.  The seat belt, in holding him inside the vehicle, caused internal injuries.  Brought to trauma center, he had serious injuries and was designated critical but stable.  He had laceration of the large intestine and contusions to spleen and upper left lung.  The chest injury is able to heal without intervention; the spleen injury was patched fairly easily.  However, the large intestine had to be resected to remove very badly lacerated portions.  He has since under gone four surgeries on the large intestine/colon with more expected.  About 3 days after initial injury a large compacted ball of puss, blood and intestinal leakage had burst leading to more contamination of his tummy.  The mass had to be removed with more resection.  Several tubes are in his stomach for drainage.  Daniel still has more surgeries in order for them be able to confirm all effluvia is cleaned and intestine is allowed to be reconnected and heal.

​During one of his surgeries, an abcess was found near his pelvis and looked to have been there for at least a year.  This likely is the cause of chronic nausea and sickly feelings he has experienced all year.  

​Currently, he is still in trauma ICU.  His condition has been up and down in that time, with the nurse once describing his care as lifesaving to keep him alive.  He is awake some times but is in lots of pain and is mostly heavily sedated as a result.  We are checking up on his condition and visiting him as much as is allowed with the limited one-visitor-per-day restrictions with the hospital.

​Some other background information:  I had a bad fall end of 2020 and broke my neck at C5-C6 with protrusion and constriction of the spinal cord.  There is also compression injury of the C2-C3 and C7.  I had surgery to fuse C5-C6 but still have much discomfort as a result.  Additionally, there is similar injuries to lumbar region from bad falls long ago.  They have progressively deteriorated to the point where discectomy and fusion are needed at L1 and L5.  Unable to afford these surgeries I have tried multiple sessions of physical therapy and working with a pain management Dr.  These interventions are only somewhat effect.

Before the initial spinal surgery, pre-op testing determined I have anemia and a precancerous mass growing in my esophagus. I am in the current treatment with the Florida Cancer Specialists and multiple IV treatments and biopsies of bone marrow which has lead to a major decrease in energy.

​At this time, I am still unable to work due to pain and limited movement.  Sitting, standing or working in various positions as an industrial electrician are very difficult.   I lost my job early during the pandemic and haven’t been able to earn a living since.  I have pain and numbness every day in neck, lower back, legs and shoulders.

​Our only income at the moment is Pamela’s job as activity director with an assisted living business.  However, her wages and allowed hours are so low and insufficient to maintain a family.  She also, is contending with chronic UTI’s and internal infections that make her day that much harder.  Contending with all the above, we have three of Daniel’s children and girlfriend living with us, going to school and participating in extra-curricular activities. 

-Mark Demos

The situation is incredibly difficult. The household is now down to one income, which is not enough to sustain living costs let alone the astronomical costs of hospital care for Daniel as well as the extended treatments for my mother and father. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated and would go towards these costs and to aid in the costs of living and loss of wages. 

Updates on Daniel will be posted as I get them. Thank you.

Kristy Demos