Ponder Family
Donation protected
Rock Valley College softball left for their annual Spring Break trip to Clermont, Florida on March 7th, 2019. Joe and Kim Ponder, parents to Abby Ponder (Sophomore) on RVC softball program, also left that same day. Abby’s parents traveled by car to attend the RVC Softball program’s long stretch of upcoming games ahead.
Abby’s father (Joe) had been feeling a little under the weather with a respiratory cold and a pulled groin, however, nothing was going to stop Abby’s parents from coming on this trip.
Throughout the span of the next ten days, Joe Ponder became very sick. On March 14th, two days before RVC Softball was scheduled to leave, Joe was rushed to AdventHealth Celebration Hospital via ambulance.
When arriving to the hospital, Joe was immediately rushed to the ICU where he was medically sedated and paralyzed while also put on a ventilator. The doctors said that he had pneumonia, influenza A and a staph infection that was rooted in an abcess in his foot that had gotten into his blood making the infection septic. Doctors had told Kim and Abby that they were not sure if he’d make it through that night. Thankfully, however, Joe made it through the night. He was slowly beginning to show signs of improvement, therefore, on March 19th, the doctors took off the medical paralysis and he began to get even stronger. The doctors then took off the sedation but Joe was still unresponsive until the 21st of March.
Finally, on the 23rd of March Joe had fully woke up and the doctors were able to remove the ventilator, allowing him to breathe on his own. During the next few days Joe only got stronger and they were able to move him out of ICU and into a regular room on March 28th.
Joe is currently still at the hospital in Florida as doctors are hoping to get him strong enough so that he can be moved to a subacute/rehabilitation center on Tuesday, April 2nd. Joe will be there 2-4 weeks before he will be strong enough to come home. There he will receive further IV antibiotic treatments for the staph infection in his foot. The doctors are diligently trying to allow him to keep his foot because the infection reached his bones.
Medical transportation is not possible due to the fact that it is not covered by the families insurance. Therefore, Kim and Joe Ponder will remain down in Florida until Joe is strong enough to make the 19 hour drive back home.
Abby Ponder is currently living back at home with friends to finish her degree at Rock Valley College and continuing to play softball.
We are humbly asking for any donations to help our sister (Abby Ponder) and her Family throughout these hard times.
Thank you,
From RVC Softball Program
Abby’s father (Joe) had been feeling a little under the weather with a respiratory cold and a pulled groin, however, nothing was going to stop Abby’s parents from coming on this trip.
Throughout the span of the next ten days, Joe Ponder became very sick. On March 14th, two days before RVC Softball was scheduled to leave, Joe was rushed to AdventHealth Celebration Hospital via ambulance.
When arriving to the hospital, Joe was immediately rushed to the ICU where he was medically sedated and paralyzed while also put on a ventilator. The doctors said that he had pneumonia, influenza A and a staph infection that was rooted in an abcess in his foot that had gotten into his blood making the infection septic. Doctors had told Kim and Abby that they were not sure if he’d make it through that night. Thankfully, however, Joe made it through the night. He was slowly beginning to show signs of improvement, therefore, on March 19th, the doctors took off the medical paralysis and he began to get even stronger. The doctors then took off the sedation but Joe was still unresponsive until the 21st of March.
Finally, on the 23rd of March Joe had fully woke up and the doctors were able to remove the ventilator, allowing him to breathe on his own. During the next few days Joe only got stronger and they were able to move him out of ICU and into a regular room on March 28th.
Joe is currently still at the hospital in Florida as doctors are hoping to get him strong enough so that he can be moved to a subacute/rehabilitation center on Tuesday, April 2nd. Joe will be there 2-4 weeks before he will be strong enough to come home. There he will receive further IV antibiotic treatments for the staph infection in his foot. The doctors are diligently trying to allow him to keep his foot because the infection reached his bones.
Medical transportation is not possible due to the fact that it is not covered by the families insurance. Therefore, Kim and Joe Ponder will remain down in Florida until Joe is strong enough to make the 19 hour drive back home.
Abby Ponder is currently living back at home with friends to finish her degree at Rock Valley College and continuing to play softball.
We are humbly asking for any donations to help our sister (Abby Ponder) and her Family throughout these hard times.
Thank you,
From RVC Softball Program
Organizer and beneficiary
RVC Softball Program
Organizer
Rockford, IL
Abby Ponder
Beneficiary