Jake Nikolaisons

Written on behalf of the family of Jake Nikolaisons. You have the family you were born with and then the family you choose.

Jake Nikolaisons is a beloved son, brother, teammate, classmate, fraternity brother, best friend and so much more to so many. With his genuine smile, happy-go-lucky demeanor, and always positive outlook he’s given to all that crosses his path a sense of acceptance, joy, and calmness. Jake has a way of smoothing over any situation in life, adding an energetic outlook, and creating camaraderie amongst those around him. From some of his closest friends, it has been said that he’s loyal, supportive, has a great sense of humor, always knows what to say in any situation, puts others before himself, he’s loving, athletic, and so much more…

Jake’s family, friends and community had a huge scare on Monday, April 1st and it wasn’t an April Fool’s joke. Jake at the young age of 19 had a cardiac arrest in his sleep, was struggling with his breathing, and was rescued by his close friends and roommates taking prompt action in their dorm room. The campus security and then the paramedics were able to resuscitate Jake and get his heart moving again, and then had to go through the resuscitation action a second time while Jake was transported to the hospital. He was immediately placed into ICU with a partially collapsed lung and medically put into a coma. He thankfully awoke from the coma 36 hours later but proceeded to have yet another cardiac arrest. Some may not call it lucky, but at least this time he was hooked-up to enough machines where the cardiologist was able to determine that the cause is from Long QT Syndrome, an altered DNA disorder. For more information about the syndrome please read: Long QT syndrome - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

Jake is now getting a defibrillator implanted and will be medicated with beta-blockers to mitigate this situation from occurring again. The fear of this happening without a roommate, family member or friend there to witness and help Jake is daunting, but the defibrillator will be there to eliminate another traumatic event.

As a parent to one of Jake’s friends, I’ve had the honor of getting to know Jake and his loving family. Without a doubt I can say that they’ve raised an utmost outstanding young man. Not only has he been thoughtful when he’s been over to my home; helping with cleaning up, clearing any mess he and my son may have created, but he’s been sensitive and respectful to how I, as a parent, have felt about situations. Always making sure I’m comfortable with what he and my son were about to do and then following through with honesty and respect. Jake is one of the good ones and there are so many out there that feel the same way about him. The love and admiration towards Jake show with the pouring in of friends and loved ones into the hospital hallways; with the love and positive thoughts through the internet over email, Facebook, snaps and texts; and spiritually through the strong prayers and positive thoughts. All of it has been overwhelmingly wonderful.

Jake is attending BSU for a business major. One day Jake hopes to run a restaurant/bar. If you know Jake, we can already see “Jake’s Place” and it will be just like Cheers, where everybody knows your name. Why is that? Because that is who Jake is. He lights up a room with his infectious smile and loving personality; he is friendly and outgoing and is not afraid to meet new people and to invite them into his world. Jake is active in his community whether at home with his parents or at college; and has so much to offer as he continues his path in life.

If you would please consider and with the kindness of your heart, help with the costs to repair Jake’s heart. Any and all contributions will be used for the accumulating Medical Bills and continued care. ICU is estimated at about $30,000 per day. We do not know yet the extent of how this condition is going to change his life and how long the road to recovery will be. Many friends and community members have asked “What can I do?”. We have started this fund as a place to help provide some immediate financial comfort for their family, and to ease anxiety as they take the next steps. Please know that Jake and his parents will be forever grateful. Any amount is helpful and is hugely appreciated. These donations will contribute to brightening the light at the end of the tunnel for Jake and his parents. This tunnel is still very long, as there are enormous medical hurdles to overcome but they are cautiously optimistic. The amount asked may or may not change, depending on the hospital recovery time.

Thank you for your consideration.