Please help Lisa rebuild her life without Joe.

Hi, my name is Debbie Hostetler. I am Lisa Miller's sister-in-law.

On October 22,2021 Lisa's husband Joe passed away rather unexpectedly. Let me explain.

Tuesday Lisa & Joe traveled to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor for scheduled heart surgery on October 19th for Joe. This would be the third heart valve replacement surgery thus far. However, prior to this surgery , Joe became incredibly sick with severe fluid retention, difficulty breathing, discomfort, insomnia, anxiety & many other issues. He spent 4 days in McLaren Hospital trying to figure out what was happening & why it was happening. After that he spent many weeks in St. Joesph Mercy Hospital just trying to reduce the fluid retention in his whole body, which at this point, his skin began weeping fluid from his pores. Joe's condition became increasingly critical & the decision was made that surgery couldn't wait any longer, his heart was failing.

Early Tuesday morning surgery began, this was going to be long & tedious surgery. Lisa was ALONE. Many, many hours later, as Lisa sat ALONE, something was going wrong...surgery was finished...but Joe's heart wouldn't BEAT. Joe's bleeding wouldn't STOP...what is happening? Joe spent 26 hours in the OR with several doctors working on him, please heart BEAT, please bleeding STOP! Joe was eventually moved to ICU with 24 hour around the clock care, (always 3-5 medical personnel in his room) on ECMO Machine. This machine created Joe's heartbeat mechanically, respirator created Joe's breaths. Lisa is ALONE, she is CONFUSED, she is SCARED.

I got to her & Joe on Wednesday. Lisa was in a state of trauma, uncontrolled crying, uncontrolled worrying, no clue what to do...she had SUFFERED ALONE & I had NO idea how to comfort her. I immediately went to Joe...there he laid tangled in a web of machines, ECMO machine, Respirator, 13 IV pumps, more supplies than you could imagine. From this moment forward I knew HIS life would never be the same & her life was forever changed.

On Wednesday night Joes was so critical he head to have another chest surgery to clean out all the packing & clots from the chest cavity for bleeding, Thursday morning he had to go to surgery again for the same thing. Finally bleeding is controlled...but devastating news came once again...Joe's right leg lost circulation & would need AMPUTATION. This can't be happening. Thursday night more devastating news...Joe's left leg lost circulation& would need AMPUTATION. Lisa is barely functioning at this point. There's NO way her husband would want to live like that.

But Joe did give her & I little GLIMMERS of JOY. He opened his eyes for us...HALLELUJAH!!! He squeezed our hands & kept a grip on Lisa's...HALLELUJAH!! And the bleeding finally stopped...HALLELUJAH!!! These were our GIFTS from Joe, we held them tight, giggled & giggled more.

It's Friday now...I go to Joe's room, there's a crowd of doctors & nurses, I wiggle my way in, I sit down...they're looking at me, I'm looking at them...then a voice begins talking to me. Joe's right wrist lost circulation & would need AMPUTATION & unfortunately, it's looking like the same thing is happening to the left wrist.

It just keeps repeating in my head. I can't believe I have to tell Lisa that her husband is going to be a quadruple AMPUTEE! Joe's NOT getting better, his body is FAILING, his heart was just too DAMAGED to help itself heal & recover. The Joe we all knew & loved was gone...never to be the same, never to get better.

Friday October 22,2021 we held a CELEBRATION of TRANSITION to Heaven for Joe with his loved ones & close friends in the parking lot of the hospital. We prayed for Lisa & the kids, his daughter, parents & family members. Afterwards Myself, Lisa & Joe's cousin re-entered the hospital, went to Joe's room & spent his final moments together...grueling, painful, gut wrenching sadness for us, but also celebrating Joe's homecoming to Heaven.

Lisa's worst (4) days of her life. She needs all of US! Her finances are VERY LOW due to unimaginable medical expenses, LOSS of income while Joe was off work, LOSS of income due to Joe's death, LOSS of her own income while taking care of Joe & while missing work due to Joe's death. She has nothing left...let's NOT let her SUFFER financially ...SHE'S SUFFERING ENOUGH WITHOUT HER JOE.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE