Support Wesley Mendez's Fight for His Life & Future

I am creating this GoFundMe on behalf of my dear friends, Wes and Angela Mendez and their children. Over the past month and a half, Wes has been battling a series of respiratory infections, including pneumonia. Although they thought he was finally starting to get better, on 1/3 he started experiencing a relentless headache. This was soon followed by vomiting, incoherence, and slurred speech, which led Angela to frantically get Wes to the ER. Little did they know within just a few hours, their lives would be completely flipped upside down and Wesley has been fighting for his life ever since.

A series of tests in the ER revealed a mass on Wes’s brain. After being transferred to another hospital, Wes underwent two emergency brain surgeries to relieve the pressure on his brain by removing a portion of his skull and inserting a drainage tube on Saturday afternoon and evening. He was subsequently placed on life support, his body cooled to 91 degrees to prevent any further brain damage, and has been fighting for his life ever since.

On 1/6 we learned Wes had undiagnosed Streptococcus, which had unfortunately spread to his brain and spinal cord, causing an abscess. The infectious disease doctors eventually targeted the exact infection, and swelling/infection has reduced enough to begin the process of warming his body. Tomorrow (1/8), the medical team will attempt to wake him from the induced coma he is in and assess the full scope of damage. While he remains in very critical condition, we remain optimistic that he will make a recovery.

With Wesley's current condition and anticipated recovery pathways, both Wes and Angela are going to be out of work for the foreseeable future and if the doctor's are able to get him off life support, we already know that long-term rehabilitation will be needed. The medical costs are going to be through the roof, and everyday life bills (mortgage, car loans, gas, electric, water, food, etc.) don't stop, so any additional support they can receive will be very beneficial to keep their family and home intact.

Needless to say, this has been a very trying time for his wife and children, and they are more than appreciative of any and all support.