Josh's Medical Fund
Donation protected
Our friend and coworker, Joshua Beneze, suffered an aneurysm rupture while out of state at a work-related conference in Rhode Island. This funding campaign is to cover costs of emergency surgery and continued care, as well as out-of-pocket expenses for his immediate family to be present at the hospital with him. Please help us to help Josh!
Update 12/12/16: In the past week, the State Register- Journal wrote an article about Josh and his stroke, while 1240AM recently did an interview with one of Josh's co-workers, discussing the GoFundMe and Christmas card drive ICCB has undertaken for Josh. Both the link to the article and link to the interview are below.
If you are interested in sending Josh a Christmas card with good tidings, please mail it to:
Josh Beneze
401 E. Capitol
Springfield, Il 62704
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20161205/state-employees-friends-coworkers-rally-after-stroke
http://wtax.com/podcasts/go-fund-me-campaign-for-josh-deneze/
Update: In a matter of days, Josh will no longer be able to stay on the Illinois Community College Board payroll, which will force him to cover 100% of his health insurance each month, totaling $800-$900 per month. This is the most urgent situation facing Josh's continued survival and recovery. Without maintaining his insurance, there is a very real chance Josh may not receive the care he so desperately needs and will continue to need as he recovers from this catastrophic event. Any donation will go into an account set up for only Josh's medical, insurance, and proprietary
needs while he is away from work.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for giving what you are able to give. Every little bit will help Josh's cause.
What Happened?
On Monday, November 14th, an aneurysm ruptured in Josh's neck, resulting in a stroke. At the time, Josh was hundreds of miles from home attending a work-related conference in Rhode Island. Josh was taken to a hospital in Newark, RI, and was later transferred to a larger hospital in Providence, RI.
When he arrived at the hospital on Monday, Josh was placed on a ventilator but was conscious enough to initially communicate via writing. However on Tuesday night, fluid began to accumulate around Josh's brain, and he was sent to emergency surgery on Wednesday morning to attempt to relieve the pressure. When the initial surgery failed, Josh was again sent to the operating room to remove a piece of his skull to accommodate the brain swelling through a procedure known as a craniectomy.
A craniectomy is a life-saving procedure that is performed, when necessary, in order to relieve swelling and pressure on the brain. By removing a portion of the skull, the brain can continue to swell upward, rather than downward where it could compress the brainstem, which controls all basic vital functions. The portion of skull that is removed is stored in a freezer, keeping it safe from bacteria, in the hopes that it can be reattached once the patient's brain swelling has subsided.
While this measure is life-saving, it does not have a simple recovery process. Josh will be forced to remain in the hospital until swelling has subsided and the portion of his skull that was removed can be reattached or replaced with a synthetic skull replacement. Josh will also need intensive rehabilitation - whether inpatient or outpatient remains to be seen - which could be a lengthy process. Although Josh's condition is now stable and his doctors are optimistic about his prognosis and continued recovery, he has a long road ahead.
Any support we can provide will help Josh through the continued recovery process.
About Josh
Josh recently turned 34 on November 19th, while in the hospital in Rhode Island. Josh is the Associate Director of Adult Education and Workforce at the Illinois Community College Board, where his hard work helps adult learners to learn high-school level educational and career skills, earn their high school equivalency, and transition into a career and/or postsecondary education. Josh is also continuing his own education by working toward a master's degree.
Josh lives with his Maine Coon cat, Jumong, in Springfield, Illinois. Most of Josh's immediate family - including his mother (Ok Cha), younger brother (James), and younger sister (Jes) - live in Glendale, Arizona. His father (John) and stepmother (Robin) live in Vandalia, Illinois.
Josh is a caring friend, a dedicated worker, and a driven individual. His curiousity comes out in both work and play, and his incredible personality endears him to everyone that meets him, which can be seen in the number of family, friends, and coworkers who have rallied around Josh during this ordeal.
Josh is truly an irreplaceable person in all of our lives. Your support will help to ease his transition home to all of his family and friends who are rooting for him.
How Can You Help?
The costs for Josh's unexpected hospitalization, emergency surgery, and extended hospital stay will not be cheap. In addition, because Josh was away on business when the aneurysm ruptured, his family needed to travel to be with him, which means days, if not weeks, of unexpected out-of-pocket expenses for housing and food. Josh will also need rehabilitation after he is released from hospitalization, which may mean weeks or months outside of work and potentially even away from home itself.
Any contribution, no matter how small, will help to offset these unexpected costs for Josh.
Please help us support Josh and his family in this difficult time. Josh and his family appreciate every contribution, and your continued prayers and positive, healing thoughts.
Thank you.
Update 12/12/16: In the past week, the State Register- Journal wrote an article about Josh and his stroke, while 1240AM recently did an interview with one of Josh's co-workers, discussing the GoFundMe and Christmas card drive ICCB has undertaken for Josh. Both the link to the article and link to the interview are below.
If you are interested in sending Josh a Christmas card with good tidings, please mail it to:
Josh Beneze
401 E. Capitol
Springfield, Il 62704
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20161205/state-employees-friends-coworkers-rally-after-stroke
http://wtax.com/podcasts/go-fund-me-campaign-for-josh-deneze/
Update: In a matter of days, Josh will no longer be able to stay on the Illinois Community College Board payroll, which will force him to cover 100% of his health insurance each month, totaling $800-$900 per month. This is the most urgent situation facing Josh's continued survival and recovery. Without maintaining his insurance, there is a very real chance Josh may not receive the care he so desperately needs and will continue to need as he recovers from this catastrophic event. Any donation will go into an account set up for only Josh's medical, insurance, and proprietary
needs while he is away from work.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for giving what you are able to give. Every little bit will help Josh's cause.
What Happened?
On Monday, November 14th, an aneurysm ruptured in Josh's neck, resulting in a stroke. At the time, Josh was hundreds of miles from home attending a work-related conference in Rhode Island. Josh was taken to a hospital in Newark, RI, and was later transferred to a larger hospital in Providence, RI.
When he arrived at the hospital on Monday, Josh was placed on a ventilator but was conscious enough to initially communicate via writing. However on Tuesday night, fluid began to accumulate around Josh's brain, and he was sent to emergency surgery on Wednesday morning to attempt to relieve the pressure. When the initial surgery failed, Josh was again sent to the operating room to remove a piece of his skull to accommodate the brain swelling through a procedure known as a craniectomy.
A craniectomy is a life-saving procedure that is performed, when necessary, in order to relieve swelling and pressure on the brain. By removing a portion of the skull, the brain can continue to swell upward, rather than downward where it could compress the brainstem, which controls all basic vital functions. The portion of skull that is removed is stored in a freezer, keeping it safe from bacteria, in the hopes that it can be reattached once the patient's brain swelling has subsided.
While this measure is life-saving, it does not have a simple recovery process. Josh will be forced to remain in the hospital until swelling has subsided and the portion of his skull that was removed can be reattached or replaced with a synthetic skull replacement. Josh will also need intensive rehabilitation - whether inpatient or outpatient remains to be seen - which could be a lengthy process. Although Josh's condition is now stable and his doctors are optimistic about his prognosis and continued recovery, he has a long road ahead.
Any support we can provide will help Josh through the continued recovery process.
About Josh
Josh recently turned 34 on November 19th, while in the hospital in Rhode Island. Josh is the Associate Director of Adult Education and Workforce at the Illinois Community College Board, where his hard work helps adult learners to learn high-school level educational and career skills, earn their high school equivalency, and transition into a career and/or postsecondary education. Josh is also continuing his own education by working toward a master's degree.
Josh lives with his Maine Coon cat, Jumong, in Springfield, Illinois. Most of Josh's immediate family - including his mother (Ok Cha), younger brother (James), and younger sister (Jes) - live in Glendale, Arizona. His father (John) and stepmother (Robin) live in Vandalia, Illinois.
Josh is a caring friend, a dedicated worker, and a driven individual. His curiousity comes out in both work and play, and his incredible personality endears him to everyone that meets him, which can be seen in the number of family, friends, and coworkers who have rallied around Josh during this ordeal.
Josh is truly an irreplaceable person in all of our lives. Your support will help to ease his transition home to all of his family and friends who are rooting for him.
How Can You Help?
The costs for Josh's unexpected hospitalization, emergency surgery, and extended hospital stay will not be cheap. In addition, because Josh was away on business when the aneurysm ruptured, his family needed to travel to be with him, which means days, if not weeks, of unexpected out-of-pocket expenses for housing and food. Josh will also need rehabilitation after he is released from hospitalization, which may mean weeks or months outside of work and potentially even away from home itself.
Any contribution, no matter how small, will help to offset these unexpected costs for Josh.
Please help us support Josh and his family in this difficult time. Josh and his family appreciate every contribution, and your continued prayers and positive, healing thoughts.
Thank you.
Organizer and beneficiary
The Illinois Community College Board
Organizer
Springfield, IL
Samantha Brill
Beneficiary