Help Don Recover From a Ruptured Brain Aneurysm
Donation protected
On Friday, January 3rd, Don Shum was taken to the hospital by ambulance and underwent emergency surgery for a ruptured brain aneurysm. Ruptured brain aneurysms are often fatal, with about one in three victims not surviving the initial brain trauma; Don miraculously made it to the hospital in time and survived life-saving brain surgery. He has since been in the Neurological ICU at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, and will remain there for a minimum of 2 more weeks. Don has already undergone several expensive, life-saving procedures, and will likely need many more. Thankfully he has been removed from the ventilator and is breathing on his own. He is not yet responsive, but continues to open his eyes from time to time to look around. Doctors can not predict what his outcome will be, but we are hopeful for the best. He will have a long road to recovery with physical and occupational rehabilitation.
Don is a healthy 49 year old father with zero risk factors. There is nothing that caused or could have prevented this from happening. He had a headache for a few days and went to urgent care, where they treated him for a migraine, and was sent home. On Friday he began to act abnormally and his wife Pattie called 911. After his initial MRI, doctors believe that his aneurysm had a slow leak (hence his headaches) and eventually ruptured on Friday. He had bleeding in the frontal lobe and right side of his brain.
Don is a beloved member of our community and a remarkable father, husband, son, brother, friend, neighbor and coach. His calm and cool demeanor are admirable. He is always willing to lend a hand to anyone in need. His devotion to his family is unsurpassed. His world revolves around his beautiful family. You can catch him practicing daily on the baseball fields with his son Maverick (11 years old). He is forever present at Maverick’s games, practices, karate competitions, surf team meetings, weight lifting classes, etc.
As we all know, medical expenses can be devastating. Don is the breadwinner of his family and will be out of work for an indefinite amount of time. Pattie will also be out of work for a period of time to take care of him. In the meantime, hospital bills, mortgage payments, and other expenses have already been coming in. His family has been living at the hospital by his side in hopes of further recovery.
Please help us raise money to support Don and his family during this difficult time and to assist with his medical costs and his long road to recovery. Any help is much appreciated. We will update this site as we have more news on his condition. We thank you endlessly for your generosity.
Don is a healthy 49 year old father with zero risk factors. There is nothing that caused or could have prevented this from happening. He had a headache for a few days and went to urgent care, where they treated him for a migraine, and was sent home. On Friday he began to act abnormally and his wife Pattie called 911. After his initial MRI, doctors believe that his aneurysm had a slow leak (hence his headaches) and eventually ruptured on Friday. He had bleeding in the frontal lobe and right side of his brain.
Don is a beloved member of our community and a remarkable father, husband, son, brother, friend, neighbor and coach. His calm and cool demeanor are admirable. He is always willing to lend a hand to anyone in need. His devotion to his family is unsurpassed. His world revolves around his beautiful family. You can catch him practicing daily on the baseball fields with his son Maverick (11 years old). He is forever present at Maverick’s games, practices, karate competitions, surf team meetings, weight lifting classes, etc.
As we all know, medical expenses can be devastating. Don is the breadwinner of his family and will be out of work for an indefinite amount of time. Pattie will also be out of work for a period of time to take care of him. In the meantime, hospital bills, mortgage payments, and other expenses have already been coming in. His family has been living at the hospital by his side in hopes of further recovery.
Please help us raise money to support Don and his family during this difficult time and to assist with his medical costs and his long road to recovery. Any help is much appreciated. We will update this site as we have more news on his condition. We thank you endlessly for your generosity.
Organizer and beneficiary
Ami Raptis Shill
Organizer
Huntington Beach, CA
Pattie Shum
Beneficiary