Help Victor Pay for Lung Transplant

1/23 NEW UPDATE: It is hard to put into a short paragraph all that has transpired since it is a very detailed and nuanced medical journey. Here's a try... On January 14th, Victor was intubated. The ECMO wasn't keeping his oxygen levels stable enough on it's own. Up until this, he was heavily sedated but had moments of clarity and communication with family. It has now been over a week of him being completely sedated with an intubated ventilator. There are a lot of factors that have gone into his case for transplant, and he has the panel of doctors at odds with one another they say. (Typical Victor fashion my mom says.) They don't want to give up just yet so, there is one last measure they might take. Things aren't looking too good but we hold out for a miracle.

Photo: Wife, Joanne kisses her husband of 36 years. Such a dedicated and loyal wife, she is there almost every day.

1/8 UPDATE: Victor's condition did not stabilize when he entered the ICU and began to worsen. Getting the oxygen his body needs became harder with each passing day. Yesterday (Jan 7th), he was put on a machine called ECMO. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, also known as extracorporeal life support, is a technique of providing prolonged respiratory support to persons whose lungs are unable to provide an adequate amount of oxygen. There has been a lot transpiring but, basically he has to wait 3 weeks for a possible lung transplant. We thank the experienced and aggressive team at NYU Langone for giving us hope and pray that he will persevere. Any of you who know him know that he is very strong. Please keep him in your prayers.

Photo: Taken Jan 8th on Facetime with daughter Angela. Still smiling, even with so many tubes. First morning on ECMO.

Photo: Taken Jan 7th right before the decision to put him on ECMO. Breathing was very difficult.

12/29 UPDATE: Victor was admitted to the ICU on the night of December 28th. The idiopathic nature of this disease means that sometimes it worsens suddenly and without known cause. Thankfully, he is in good hands at NYU Langone and undergoing rigorous testing to evaluate if he is eligible for a transplant. We are maintaining our hope that he will get a transplant and return home to us.

Photo: Entering the ICU. Coolest hat award.

STORY: Victor was diagnosed with a rare condition in which the lungs develop widespread scarring that impairs their function, making breathing difficult. It is called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. There is no cure for this condition, only treatment to slow its progression and the glimmer of hope is a lung transplant.

We are reaching out for support. The money you donate will help pay for any and all medical costs. The medicine he is currently on cost more than $110,000 per year and a single lung transplant may cost well over $929,600. Your donation will help pay for the lung transplant that will hopefully give us more time with our beloved father, friend, family. These numbers are clearly astronomical and before insurance, however, the medical bills will still be very high and much more than we can swing. Therefore, we ask that you afford some of your own to help us. Thank you for reading and God bless.