Help TJ in the fight for his life!
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My name is Tom, I’m a husband and father, a Navy man who served for 25 years, my son Thomas Eady Jr., affectionately known as TJ, is in a fight for his life so I started this GoFundMe to help. On Friday March 13th, I received a phone call that no parent wants to get, TJ was in the Emergency Room, he was in severe Cardiac and Respiratory distress after a few days of feeling progressively unwell. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in critical condition. TJ was in Septic Shock, his Lungs choked by double Pneumonia, in addition to complete Kidney and Liver shutdown.
I was in a state of shock, wanting to wake up from a bad dream that seemed so real like I’ve done before, but this was no dream. I packed a bag and drove 6 hours to Augusta Georgia not knowing if my son would be alive when I arrived. I was in disbelief, he was a independent, relatively healthy 28 year old leading a normal life, working a full time job, finding his place in the world.
The ICU Doctor’s said it began from an infection that entered his blood stream and led to Sepsis, a deadly bacterial blood infection that aggressively attacks all your organs, Heart, Lungs, Liver, and Kidneys. This was of great concern because TJ was born with only one Kidney and an Aortic Bicuspid Valve, making this more dangerous. The Doctors determined the Sepsis had attacked his Liver and Kidney and severely damaged his Heart causing fluid buildup in his Lungs (Double Pneumonia). He was put on a Ventilator to breath and a Blood Pump to raise his Blood Pressure, continuous Dialysis, as his Kidney and Liver were completely shutdown and multiple Antibiotics to fight the Infection.
After an Echocardiogram, he was found to have Endocarditis, inflammation of the inside lining of the heart chambers and heart valves. The Cardiac Surgeon laid out his prognosis in the family conference room. The Sepsis had damaged two of his Heart Valves and if he didn’t have immediate Open Heart Surgery, TJ would surely die, not within weeks but a day, maybe two at best, there was no waiting for him to get stronger before surgery and his chance of survival was only 20%. His condition was so bad, the Surgical Team didn't think he'd even survive being moved from the ICU to the Cardiac Operating Room.
We made the agonizing decision, the only decision, to move forward with the Surgery, it was scheduled for 5am, Sunday March 15th. The Cardiac Surgeon replaced his Aortic Valve, the Valve Root, repaired the Mitral Valve and performed one Bypass. To EVERYONE's surprise and amazement, he was a 20%er, the surgery was a success, he had survived. The Doctors called it a miracle! But they were very clear, he was still critical and if he survived through recovery, he had a long road ahead just from his Heart surgery. His Lungs we’re still fighting the Pneumonia and his Liver and Kidney we’re still not functioning.
Each day post surgery has been both encouraging and agonizing, TJ has proven that he's a fighter. After coming off sedation days later, he momentarily woke and recognized me. He was able to say, “I love you Dad” which I really loved hearing, though his voice was extremely weak. Through the exceptional skill and work of the Doctors and Nurses, support of his family and friends, we are all hoping he will make it through this.
He is still fighting for his life, and new problems continue to arise like a intricate puzzle with each piece effecting the other. He’s been on a feeding tube to provide nutrition but is working with a Swallowing Specialist to strengthen his throat muscles. He suffered an Ischemic Stroke requiring multiple Neurological CT scans and Anti-Seizure medications, in addition, his Kidney isn't recovering so he's still on Dialysis three times a week. His toes have turned black on his right foot from circulation issues and may require a partial or total amputation. His liver tests have shown improvement but he’s still Jaundiced.
I’d been living in a hotel for two weeks through donations from family and friends, looking for a long term place to stay. Then more bad news came, due to COVID-19, the hospital stopped allowing visitors indefinitely and now TJ is on his own physically and emotionally. I’ve returned to my home in Florida but I’m constantly in touch with TJ's Medical Team and closely monitoring his progress. Unfortunately, TJ didn’t have health insurance, which was part of the reason he hesitated to seek treatment when he started feeling ill. He simply could not afford it. In addition, the hospital does not have room for him in their rehabilitation program without insurance, but to their credit, they’ve reached out to multiple local rehabilitation hospitals asking to accept him on a charity basis, so far he’s been turned down by three facilities, they are still looking.
This is where you come in. We are asking for your help to cover the costs of his Heart Surgery, Hospital stay and associated care and treatment for his Kidney, Liver, Neurological and Vascular issues, a rehabilitation facility, and 24/7 care for TJ as he transitions into a life that is different but still his own. I’ve filed all the forms on his behalf for him to receive Disability and Medicaid, but there’s no guarantee it will be approved, it can take up to a year for an answer and it will only cover a small fraction of his medical costs that are piling up and undetermined at this point. I haven’t received a bill, but will provide an update with that information soon. We all know the high costs of medical care and I anticipate it exceeding the GoFundMe goal of $100,000. I set up a separate account solely for this purpose. Any and all donations received will be exclusively used for his bills and care.
TJ's road to recovery will be very long. It's difficult to imagine what the future holds, but we know that TJ will never cease to be the funny, caring, and beautiful person that he is. We simply need to be able to support him along that journey.
Your support means the world to TJ and to all of us. Any donation, any little extra you can spare will help, he desperately needs your support, now more than ever, thank you!
I was in a state of shock, wanting to wake up from a bad dream that seemed so real like I’ve done before, but this was no dream. I packed a bag and drove 6 hours to Augusta Georgia not knowing if my son would be alive when I arrived. I was in disbelief, he was a independent, relatively healthy 28 year old leading a normal life, working a full time job, finding his place in the world.
The ICU Doctor’s said it began from an infection that entered his blood stream and led to Sepsis, a deadly bacterial blood infection that aggressively attacks all your organs, Heart, Lungs, Liver, and Kidneys. This was of great concern because TJ was born with only one Kidney and an Aortic Bicuspid Valve, making this more dangerous. The Doctors determined the Sepsis had attacked his Liver and Kidney and severely damaged his Heart causing fluid buildup in his Lungs (Double Pneumonia). He was put on a Ventilator to breath and a Blood Pump to raise his Blood Pressure, continuous Dialysis, as his Kidney and Liver were completely shutdown and multiple Antibiotics to fight the Infection.
After an Echocardiogram, he was found to have Endocarditis, inflammation of the inside lining of the heart chambers and heart valves. The Cardiac Surgeon laid out his prognosis in the family conference room. The Sepsis had damaged two of his Heart Valves and if he didn’t have immediate Open Heart Surgery, TJ would surely die, not within weeks but a day, maybe two at best, there was no waiting for him to get stronger before surgery and his chance of survival was only 20%. His condition was so bad, the Surgical Team didn't think he'd even survive being moved from the ICU to the Cardiac Operating Room.
We made the agonizing decision, the only decision, to move forward with the Surgery, it was scheduled for 5am, Sunday March 15th. The Cardiac Surgeon replaced his Aortic Valve, the Valve Root, repaired the Mitral Valve and performed one Bypass. To EVERYONE's surprise and amazement, he was a 20%er, the surgery was a success, he had survived. The Doctors called it a miracle! But they were very clear, he was still critical and if he survived through recovery, he had a long road ahead just from his Heart surgery. His Lungs we’re still fighting the Pneumonia and his Liver and Kidney we’re still not functioning.
Each day post surgery has been both encouraging and agonizing, TJ has proven that he's a fighter. After coming off sedation days later, he momentarily woke and recognized me. He was able to say, “I love you Dad” which I really loved hearing, though his voice was extremely weak. Through the exceptional skill and work of the Doctors and Nurses, support of his family and friends, we are all hoping he will make it through this.
He is still fighting for his life, and new problems continue to arise like a intricate puzzle with each piece effecting the other. He’s been on a feeding tube to provide nutrition but is working with a Swallowing Specialist to strengthen his throat muscles. He suffered an Ischemic Stroke requiring multiple Neurological CT scans and Anti-Seizure medications, in addition, his Kidney isn't recovering so he's still on Dialysis three times a week. His toes have turned black on his right foot from circulation issues and may require a partial or total amputation. His liver tests have shown improvement but he’s still Jaundiced.
I’d been living in a hotel for two weeks through donations from family and friends, looking for a long term place to stay. Then more bad news came, due to COVID-19, the hospital stopped allowing visitors indefinitely and now TJ is on his own physically and emotionally. I’ve returned to my home in Florida but I’m constantly in touch with TJ's Medical Team and closely monitoring his progress. Unfortunately, TJ didn’t have health insurance, which was part of the reason he hesitated to seek treatment when he started feeling ill. He simply could not afford it. In addition, the hospital does not have room for him in their rehabilitation program without insurance, but to their credit, they’ve reached out to multiple local rehabilitation hospitals asking to accept him on a charity basis, so far he’s been turned down by three facilities, they are still looking.
This is where you come in. We are asking for your help to cover the costs of his Heart Surgery, Hospital stay and associated care and treatment for his Kidney, Liver, Neurological and Vascular issues, a rehabilitation facility, and 24/7 care for TJ as he transitions into a life that is different but still his own. I’ve filed all the forms on his behalf for him to receive Disability and Medicaid, but there’s no guarantee it will be approved, it can take up to a year for an answer and it will only cover a small fraction of his medical costs that are piling up and undetermined at this point. I haven’t received a bill, but will provide an update with that information soon. We all know the high costs of medical care and I anticipate it exceeding the GoFundMe goal of $100,000. I set up a separate account solely for this purpose. Any and all donations received will be exclusively used for his bills and care.
TJ's road to recovery will be very long. It's difficult to imagine what the future holds, but we know that TJ will never cease to be the funny, caring, and beautiful person that he is. We simply need to be able to support him along that journey.
Your support means the world to TJ and to all of us. Any donation, any little extra you can spare will help, he desperately needs your support, now more than ever, thank you!
Organizer
Tom Eady
Organizer
Gainesville, FL