Help Mom Heal and Cope with Loss

I am starting this page for everyone who has been reaching out and wanting to help. This will help with groceries, monthly bills/medical bills, and everyday necessities. My mom is unable to work at the moment and is at home recovering from a recent hospitalization with a stroke and also grieving the loss of her husband Ollie.

Here is her story :

This past Easter Sunday, our family gathered to visit mom in the hospital. She was recently admitted after sustaining a rare blood clot (portal venous thrombosis) followed by a rare stroke (bilateral basil ganglia). After nearly 11 days of inpatient hospital care, tests, scans, and therapy, her medical team was beginning her discharge process.

We decided to bring Easter to mom in order to have a sense of normalcy prior to her discharge. Our family gathered around 2pm (Ollie, my grandparents, myself and lauren) sharing great food, and even better stories about life, love, and growing older.

As the afternoon went on, it took a very tragic turn. Around 4:30 pm Sunday while in Moms hospital room, Ollie developed sudden nausea, shortness of breath, and chest pain, ultimately caused by an abnormal heart rhythm. His condition became unstable as we immediately notified medical providers outside of mom’s door. His internal defibrillator rapidly fired multiple times to correct the underlying abnormal rhythm, causing seizure-like activity. Nearly thirty medical staff members worked to stabilize Ollie in mom’s hospital room prior to being rushed downstairs to the emergency department. Before leaving moms room to the ER downstairs, Ollie held moms hand with all the strength he could find and said “I love you”.

Ollie received nearly 90 minutes of immense care, fluids, and medicines to stabilize his vitals, and unfortunately his heart went into ventricular fibrillation. Another 30 minutes was spent performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation to correct the v-fib, however unfortunately Ollie’s heart was not strong enough to survive.

It is with deep sadness that I share the sudden passing of Ollie. This loss has left our family heartbroken, shocked, and still in disbelief. He was full of life, love, and laughter, and his absence leaves a space that can never be filled.

We are heartbroken by this loss, but deeply thankful for the time, memories, and love we shared with him. His impact on our lives will never be forgotten.