Love & Support for the Capizzi Family

UPDATE (August 2022)!!

Manny is continuing slowly along the road of recovery. He has taken some assisted steps, is working on transferring from bed to wheelchair, and is feeding himself. He is currently at a rehab facility closer to home, but we are planning and making preparations for him to come home by mid-August. With this will come new challenges, so we ask that you continue to pray for us. And while our insurance is covering most expenses, we still have a few things to pay for and the continuing COBRA bill of over $2000 per month. Child care expenses for the summer have been minimal (since Michelle runs the camp and that is part of the package), but school is starting again soon and we will need to pay for preschool for Ezra (so Michelle can work). Please continue to pray for all of us, for Manny to have strength and rest well. Pray that the doctors continue to have wisdom. Pray for all of us as we adjust to this new phase of life. If you can give in any way, we very much appreciate it. 

Thank you!

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We’ve come so far… it’s been so long (5/9) he moved to a rehab closer to home. Please keep us all in your prayers! Thanks so much!



If you know the Capizzi Family, you know joy, fun, laughter, and love (and likely a few Superheroes)! Manny and Michelle are raising their three amazing kids, Olivia (12), Gabe (9) and Ezra (3) to be full of life, to express themselves and to love others. As a family they have impacted the lives of so many people in many ways and it’s our turn to make an impact for them!

 

In August of 2021 the Capizzi Family faced a new challenge together when they contracted COVID-19 and began their journey to recover. The kids thankfully were able to bounce back to their usual fun, crazy, full-of-life selves very quickly. Michelle was able to recover in a few weeks as well.

Manny faced a much tougher battle. He was admitted to the hospital within a week of getting sick and was very quickly moved to the ICU with a serious case of COVID pneumonia. He was placed on a ventilator and then spent the next 100+ days in medically induced sedation to allow his lungs the chance to heal. He was also put on ECMO, a heart and lung bypass, where your blood is circulated outside your body, oxygenated, and then returned, to give the lungs the best possible chance to heal. During this time, Manny faced several infectio

ns, many days of his family being unsure of what the future would hold and other medical challenges.

 

Michelle was able to visit Manny almost daily at this point but the impact of being away from the kids and the travel/costs associated with that were growing. She was able to get Ezra into a pre-school 3 days a week to help as the older kids navigated new schools and missing their dad.

In November the doctors gave Michelle the news no one ever wants to hear, that Manny’s lungs were not healing on their own. They shared with her that aside from a miracle, he may not recover. Within a few days, Manny’s miracle presented itself in the form of his doctor recommending him to Temple Hospital for a possible lung transplant. Manny’s case was reviewed, and he was accepted into Temple within one day!

 

He was safely moved to Temple and brought out of his medical sedation where a new and daunting reality faced him. Manny awoke to 3+ months having gone by, unable to move at all, breathing through a ventilator and being alone for long periods of the day. Pain and anxiety became his immediate new reality as he became aware of his health and his options.

This brings us to today; Manny has been “awake” for about 4 weeks now, daily re-learning how to move his muscles to do simple things like shake or nod his head, move his legs and arms, and to whisper/speak over his ventilator. He is receiving Physical Therapy with a dedicated focus of getting him accepted to the transplant list for a new set of lungs. He still has a very long and very hard road ahead. He is still the fun and joyful Manny we all know and love, going through the greatest battle he may ever face.