Josh Franklin - Go Fund Me

Christmas Eve Update from JOSH!❤️

”Well it's that time of year and I wanted to take a moment to reach out to all of you!

As you know it was a "challenging" year for me with 5 months in hospital and as of now living at my temporary home here in Edmonton until the middle of February.

If you are not aware I recieved an RVAD open heart surgery. This essentially is a small propeller implanted and attached to my heart that has now taken over the job of pushing blood through my heart. This has alleviated a very high pressure that had built up in my heart and was causing extra stress to the heart itself. The RVAD is connected to a battery back that I now carry with me in a backpack. Yep that's right I have a wire now sticking out of me attached to batteries that I drag around with me!?? Crazy!

I cannot express fully my admiration and thanks to all of the medical professionals that looked after me in hospital and now as an outpatient. In no uncertain terms they saved my bacon.

That said I also want to thank all of you. I was blown away by the support you all provided me through the Go Fund Me project and, just as important, all the amazing messages of well wishes and encouragement. It gave me not only more motivation but helped keep me focused on the days ahead as I slowly made progress through my rehabilitation. I count my blessings as a guy with not only an amazing family but also a community of people that I am honored to call friends. Dana and I both thank you all for this amazing gift.

So, with 2023 in the review mirror, I look forward to seeing as many of you as I can in the coming year. Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Luv,

Josh”

*November 19th ,2023 Update*

Josh is out of the hospital! He has moved into an Air BnB condo that is close to the Heart Clinic. He is currently back and forth to the Hospital every day, then to every other day and eventually to a couple of times a week for the next 3 months.

He’s been to the grocery store and done a little cooking too.

There’s still tough days for sure but Josh just marches on.

I did ask him if he wanted to provide an update to everyone but his response was:

“Sorry bud. Long tough day. If you could update it that would be great. Thanks ”

The guy still throws in a thumbs up ❤️

*October 27, 2023 Update*

Josh has moved from the Intensive Care Unit to the heart (VAD) ward. He had his first shower since July and Dana says "He's like a brand new person".

They are looking at being in Edmonton for at least another 3 months. Some issues still remain but he is a fighter and we are so proud of him.

Dana is moving from her son's place to an Airbnb which is much closer to the hospital. This will work well when Josh becomes an outpatient.

Once again thanks to everyone for caring about our Josh. It continues to amaze us and still chokes us up.

*October 15, 2023 Update*

Josh remains in the ICU where he knows everyone, and is entertaining to us all. He is making progress but it can feel like two steps forward and one step back. The best news is that his Trach and feeding tube are gone. He passed the swallow test, and is now on regular food. He is getting a custom mask to wear at night for oxygen, and is now on lower amounts of oxygen during the day.

He is walking 1 1/2 loops around the unit, while getting cheers from many. He is working on his upper body with light weights and a boxing routine thrown in.

He is having some troubles with is kidney and bladder, and has some tests scheduled this week.

He just keeps chugging alone and taking everything in stride.

Thanks to all who are on Josh's cheering squad. It is so appreciated.

*September 4th- Labour Day Monday Update*

Hi everyone, sorry there hasn’t been an update in awhile. Josh has had a few more “down” days than “up” days lately but he is working his tail off. He’s really needing to work his lungs. He’s been on and off the ventilator machine breathing on his own. He was having some good progress but then a few steps back with CO2 building up.

Yesterday was a positive day. He's one tired dude but he was able to get up and sit in his chair 3 times which was the goal. His one doctor has been giving him pep talks and encouraging him to keep pushing and exercising his lungs. He gets physio several times a day and fantastic care from the ICU team. He’s in the best place possible for him.

It sounds like at least another week in ICU (which Josh is happy about ) as they monitor the million things, or should I say 6 Million things going on with him :)

Thanks for the positive vibes from coast to coast and south of the border. Josh so appreciates it. ❤️

Jonah

*August 23rd- Wednesday update*

Jonah: “Hey bro, Just checking in ❤️”

Josh: “Still kickin!”

Josh is still in ICU, but he is doing quite well. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves as he has a ton of challenges. They’ve been working on him breathing without the ventilator. At first he was at 30 min, yesterday was an hour and today is 2 hours. It’s a real workout for him that’s for sure. His lungs are really having to work. He stood up beside his bed yesterday for about a minute. So that took a lot as well.

His attitude is amazing. When the nurses are late with his exercises, he isn’t too please. He’s really working hard. The “Silent Warrior” isn’t so silent these days. He does have a trach (which he is happy about) so he’s able to talk again and communicate more than just with eyebrows.

The plan is to be in ICU for a little while yet. Then if all goes well, they will move him out and into a room on the heart ward for about 2 months. If all goes as planned there, he would then be out of the hospital but still needs to stay in Edmonton for another 3 months after that.

Dana is with Josh every day ❤️

Mom just came home yesterday for a break. She’s been with Josh for about 7 weeks.❤️

“The road is long, with many a winding turn…..he ain’t heavy….he’s my brother “

*August 17th- Thursday night update*

words from Josh’s wife Dana:

“Tomorrow is one week since Josh's surgery, and he is continuing to progress slowly. The doctors are happy with where he is at, there haven't been any major setbacks, but it's frustrating & exhausting to still be intubated. He also has pneumonia, but they are treating it with antibiotics and don't seem to be too concerned with it at the moment.

Every day he gets a bit stronger, but he's not ready to ditch the breathing tube yet, so he will be getting a tracheotomy tomorrow to give his throat a break from the tube. It's not great news but its not bad either. He's actually looking forward to it.

He will be able to talk and have the occasional ice chip.

In the meantime he is keeping me busy changing out ice cold cloths on his forehead and arms, and he's writing notes and even joking around a bit.

I'm not going to lie, this past week has been almost torture for him, but he has not lost his temper or done more than roll his eyes in frustration. He is an amazing patient, and an even more amazing husband. More than once he has patted my hand to comfort me or checked in with me to make sure I'm doing ok. We were quarantined today while they ran a test (it turned out negative) and I couldn't bring my backpack into the room. When he found out I hadn't eaten all day he got mad at me, lol and kicked me out.

It will be such a relief to hear his voice again tomorrow night.

Dana Franklin”

Monday, August 14th Update*

Josh is still in ICU and will be for at least a couple of weeks we are told. Things really are day-to-day and moment-by-moment. The doctors are not surprised by anything at this point. All of the challenges have been as expected. His eyes are open, His eyebrow work is alive and well and squeezing hands is very common. His lungs are a challenge. He is retaining fluids and he is quite puffy. He was better this morning but they are stepping up the meds along with trying to get him to move more. As I am typing this back at the apartment, Dana just sent me a text to say that they just had him up sitting on the edge of the bed for about 5 min. He's super tired again and will rest. She also said that the pacemaker people were in to check him out and they were pleased. They are also testing to see if they can remove the breathing tube.

When I was up to see him this morning, he was holding my finger in his hand. I asked him that if he was having fun to squeeze my finger. He looked at me, slowly let go of my finger, gently placed my hand to the side and then patted my hand. I smiled and looked at him. He looked back and then gave me an eyebrow wobble. He just keeps on keeping on.....

Jonah

*Surgery day, Friday, August 11th*

He made it through the surgery. We are relieved. There were some complications, but we don't know too much at this point. Just wanted to share. He is back in ICU and he is stable. He will be out for at least the next 48 hours as they monitor a zillion things. Thank you all again for your support and I will do my best to update soon.

*Thursday, August 10th Update*

Well, the day has arrived. It's been a roller coaster of a week and we were informed yesterday that Josh is scheduled for tomorrow (Friday) at 7am for his Artificial Heart Surgery (VAD). Dad and I are at the airport right now and will be in Edmonton shortly. Mom has been in Edmonton with Josh for 5 weeks now and Dana has been there for about 10 days ( I think...the days are all running together). Many ups and downs, but this is really the best option for Josh. He's been told by more than one doctor that he is one of the most complex cases they have ever seen. He's also been told that they can't believe his attitude. He sits there, takes a minute and processes the information and then nods "ok, sounds like a plan" He has had his down moments for sure, but it's often frustration that he then shakes off. He's been writing short stories as of late. Funny little stories about his journey with a wacky heart. His title.... "Sometimes it gets a little bit weird". God, he's tough :)

Jonah

*Saturday, August 5th Update*

A Better Day :)

Josh is still in ICU but he's alert, eating and talking again. He's had the breathing tube removed and working on removing the feeding tube. His vocal cords were extended from the tubes so in a very low voice he said "I'm just happy":)

As for the next steps, the doctor is saying the Artificial Heart is really the only option at this point. We had hoped to miss this step and go straight to a donor but it can't wait. The good news is that the artificial heart surgery has a high success rate. He will need to be in the hospital for 2 months after the surgery and then 3 months out of the hospital but still in Edmonton. We still aren't sure when the surgery will be as there are many details and tests still being done to get him ready.

Josh really enjoyed his couple of days with his kids and still appreciates all of the support from everyone.

*Thursday August 3rd update*

The good news:

Josh’s daughters Kylie and Sam arrived today along with Kylie’s kids, Hudson and Sylvia and Sam’s boyfriend Josh.

The not so good news:

Josh had a big set back yesterday morning and is in ICU. He isn’t able to talk because of the breathing tube and feeding tube. But, he is able to write on a pad of paper and his eye rolls and eyebrow action is top notch. He understands everything that’s going on.

We wish we had better news but Josh is very thankful with all of the support he has received. People from elementary school, high school, the old neighbourhood gang, his many work families over the years, his dear friends and family and many many people he’s never met.

Dana has been amazing

Mom is solid

And like my son Connor just said to me, “Uncle Josh is a Beast” ❤️

*Update Sunday, July 30th

I arrived yesterday and Josh’s wife Dana arrived today. Mom has been amazing and the “Silent Warrior” keeps fighting.

The plan is to move forward with an artificial ❤️ as he can’t wait for a donor.

Josh has been blown away by the generosity and the messages have really lifted his spirits.

He loves hearing from everybody but doesn’t have the energy to respond. If you’d like to text me at 3065 39 0568, I’d be happy to share. Jonah❤️

Hi, My name is Jonah and I am fundraising for my brother Josh.

Josh was born with transposition of the major arteries and when he was born, he almost didn't make it. At the age of two, he had his first open heart surgery and at the age of 6, he received his first pacemaker. Another open heart surgery at 14 and many bumps, humps and hurdles along the way.

As a family, we always knew that the time would come when his heart would wear out. Unfortunately, that day has arrived. Josh's heart is failing and he is needing a heart transplant. The surprise to us all is that he is also needing a lung transplant. So, he's looking at a double transplant.

Josh has not been able to work full-time since last year, and he won't be able to work for some time after the double transplant. He is currently in Edmonton undergoing a zillion tests and he will now need to remain there until a donor is found. He has a home in Regina and there are many additional costs to staying in Edmonton for this uncertain amount of time.

Any donation amount is appreciated, or please consider sharing this video to help spread the word.

On behalf of Josh, his wife Dana, his 2 kids, his stepkids, his 3 grandchildren, and our parents: Thank you so very much.

Jonah