Help Johnny Ruff’s short term disability

Jeanne Ruff is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hello, my name is Jeanne Ruff and it is with great pain and uncertainty that I've created this page to help with my brother's ongoing care and recovery. On January 9th, he was admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital for fever, disorientation, and pain. Shortly afterwards he developed an extremely high heart rate and was not getting enough oxygen, thus he was ultimately sedated and placed on a ventilator. Despite having been vaccinated, he happened to test positive for COVID, but the doctors did not believe this was contributing to his acute illness. His being vaccinated actually help reduce complications from COVID 19.

Doctors ran tests and diagnosed him with severe septic shock which caused extensive inflammation and acute organ injury to kidneys and liver. Due to the sepsis injury to his kidneys, he was put on dialysis. The ICU physician told us Johnny had a 30% chance of surviving his hospital admission and we were just devastated. He was isolated for 10 days while they awaited negative test results of COVID-19 and then transferred to ICU. It wasn't until January 21, that his husband, Carlos Ruff, was permitted to visit for 1 hour.

The ICU nurses getting ready to escort Johnny out for a surgical procedure. They have been so kind and supportive. It really is truly amazing to witness what nurses do to help care for their patients.

On January 22, we received a call from the ICU doctor informing us that Johnny may not survive and that he would code at any moment; they informed us that we should come to the hospital right away! Upon our arrival, Johnny seemed to become more stable; as if he knew we were on our way!! It's really incredible how one begins to see these small miracles and wonder...

As of January 30, ICU physicians cannot say when Johnny will awake from sedation and/or what kind of physical or neurological injury he will sustain from the septic shock. So we are living in suspended time, praying and hoping for a miracle. He is only 52 and his next birthday is March 19th. But we continue with positive thoughts and prayers.

Johnny lives in Washington, DC with his husband, Carlos Ruff. He had a calling for nursing later in life and received his BSN/RN. He is employed with ShareCare as a Local Care Coordinator where he coordinates every aspect of his patients' care to help keep the physician, pharmacy, lab and other caregivers informed and working together in their best interest. He helps them understand a difficult diagnosis by answering questions they may have forgotten to ask their doctor and help them make informed decisions. He has told me that his job is extremely challenging and stressful but he believes what he does helps his patients live better lives. He is truly a kind, passionate, altruistic individual who sincerely cares about his patients.

Johnny with his husband, Carlos Ruff

Johnny was born and raised in Miami, Florida and has two older sisters, Jeanne and Julie Ruff. He moved to Washington DC in the 90s and has lived there ever since. He loves DC, lives across from the National Cathedral and has found a wonderful husband to share his life. Johnny has so much to contribute to this world and he has always been extremely caring and generous and would never hesitate to help anyone; his is THAT kind of human being and he has way too much good to provide to this world!

The purpose of this page is to raise awareness and support in helping my brother with the inevitable uncertainty of the financial strain his condition will cause. We hope to use all donations to help with medical copays, deductibles, medications, skilled nursing care, as well as travel and unpaid time off for our family to assist Carlos with Johnny's care. Please feel free to leave a message or a prayer for Johnny. He is everything to my sister and me and, for Carlos, his whole world.

Thank you for your support. We love you and thank you for your prayers.

Sincerely,
Jeanne, Julie, Carlos