Support Mike Schaffer & His Family

Hi all-

My name is Brenna and I'm fundraising for Mike Schaffer and his family (Sophea, Brody, Jude, and George). On the morning of Saturday, March 4th, Mike experienced a cardiac arrest (sudden, unexpected loss of heart function, breathing, and consciousness) while in their home.  Mike's friend, Luis was quick to respond and performed CPR (with Sophea's help when he needed a break) until the paramedics arrived.  Upon arrival, the paramedics used a defibrillator to shock Mike’s heart a few times before getting a slow pulse and rushing him to the hospital.

GOOD NEWS…Mike was awake, responsive, and off the ventilator by the next morning.  Additionally, all tests have come back normal.  Since they’re not certain what caused his heart to suddenly stop beating, Mike underwent a procedure on Wednesday the 8th in which an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) was placed to prevent future cardiac arrests.  He was discharged from the hospital the following day. 

(A HUGE shoutout to Luis...his quick thinking and ability to perform CPR while waiting for the paramedics is the reason Mike is still here today, and without significant brain damage. Mike's family is forever grateful to you!)

 

While Mike is doing relatively well physically, he is experiencing severe short-term memory loss­, which is a common side effect of cardiac arrest that could last months or even years.  As such, it is unclear when he’ll get the go-ahead to drive or return to work.  In true Sophea fashion, she has somehow held it all together; managing to juggle Mike’s care with her work and parenting responsibilities, all while maintaining a sense of normalcy for their 3 boys.

As if the past few weeks weren’t stressful enough, Mike and Sophea are now beginning to think about how challenging it could potentially be to manage their family’s life and all its demands moving forward.  So, in hopes to relieve them from a bit of financial stress, I’ve created this Go Fund Me.  If you are interested in and able to donate any amount to support the Schaffer family, we would greatly appreciate it!  Thanks in advance for considering!