Support Ernest Miller's Funeral Costs

We are trying to raise funds to cover final/funeral expenses for my father, Ernest Miller. He passed away earlier today, November 3, 2024, at LVHN in Hazleton. Unfortunately, he did not have any life insurance. We were not prepared for this and are hoping to be able to give him the funeral that he deserves to honor his memory and say our last goodbyes.

To be honest, we really aren’t sure what happened at this point. He went in for a routine knee replacement on August 5, 2024. The afternoon of his surgery, he seemed to be doing well. The next evening, I received a call from my mom telling me that he had coded and went into cardiac arrest. They were able to revive him. From this point on, we have been looking for answers but have gotten very few. He spent a couple of weeks in the hospital and had all kinds of medical issues but was discharged and sent to assisted living for rehabilitation. He completed rehabilitation and was able to come home. I believe he was home for maybe 2-3 weeks before I got another call saying he was being rushed to the hospital by ambulance because he wasn’t feeling well. This is when the next round of issues started. He had been diagnosed with a blood infection, his heel turned black, and at one point, the doctors thought it might need to be amputated. He was diagnosed with a cold, he complained about various pain in different parts of his body, he had issues with his oxygen, and on several occasions, the doctors and nurses said his oxygen levels dropped and he was hard to wake up. Kidney issues, the list goes on and on. It seemed like every day there was a different issue and no answers after test after test. Finally, on Thursday, October 31, 2024, they said he was well enough to be discharged and go to assisted living for rehabilitation. He wasn’t even in assisted living for 24 hours before another call came that said he was being rushed to the hospital because they were having a hard time waking him up. The hospital said his oxygen levels had dropped again, ran more tests but still no answers. They were keeping him overnight for observation, and if everything went well, he would be discharged the next day. The next day came, and after blood work, they said they were not releasing him because he was having issues with his kidneys again and the numbers were not that great. They said with IV liquids, everything should improve, and he should recover.

That brings us to today. This morning, I received a call from mom telling me the doctor had called her and that he had coded and they were trying to revive him, but they didn’t know if he was going to make it or not. The doctor said he was in with him 5 minutes before this, and he was talking and eating his breakfast. Unfortunately, a few minutes after receiving this call, the doctor called back and said that they were not able to revive him and he had passed. There was nothing more they could do.

We realize this is a tough time for everyone and things are tight. Any amount that you can possibly give helps and we greatly appreciate any help at all, even if it’s only $5.00. My mom has been in contact with several funeral homes and they are all telling her that they do not take payment arrangements and we need at least $7,000-$8,000 up front. Anyone that knows him knows he may have been stubborn and at times rude, but he was always willing to help anyone if he could.