Joe and Michelle (aka Lexi) with medical bills

Hi, my name is Jennifer and I am Joe's sister.

I am updating the overall need for this as things have changed dramatically.

As you are all likely aware, Michelle/Lexi suffered a hemorrhagic stroke on Tuesday August 1, which in the immediate aftermath left her unable to speak or swallow, with right-sided paralysis, and a stay in the ICU at St Elizabeth's Medical Center. While she has shown steady improvement -- able to speak and eat, regaining feeling on her right side, as well as some right foot movement -- the future is still unknown regarding potential rehab, physical therapy, or even her ability to walk up the stairs to their second floor apartment. Regardless of insurance, medical bills will be high with an ambulance ride, ER, ICU stay, a myriad of tests and future therapies.

Two days after Lexi's stroke, Joe unkowingly suffered a heart attack, and kept trying to push through for 4 days until a friend brought him to the ER instead of their plan of him visiting Lexi in the ICU.

Joe's heart attack and reduced blood flow caused a hole in his cardiac septum (the wall separating the right and left sides of his heart), as well as injuries to his liver and right kidney. A cardiac catheterization revealed a nearly occluded Right Coronary Artery, and an 80% blocked Left Anterior Descending artery. Both the blockages and the septal defect need to be repaired but that cannot happen until the liver injury is managed and his blood labs normalize.

He is currently in the ICU, worried, but still cracking jokes.

Needless to say, two ICU stays could amount to a mountain of bills, even with insurance.

This GoFundMe is to help with mounting medical and therapy bills, ease some of their financial burdens however they see fit, and still help with the root canal Joe needs (which he found out about a day or so before the heart attack.

Thank you for your help