Justin Kuan's Recovery Fund
Donation protected
On January 15th 2016, I received that phone call that every mother (and father) wakes up every morning with the hope of never receiving. It was an ambulance asking me permission to take Justin, my youngest boy (17 y.o.), to the hospital. I was at work and in total shock. The neighbor saw him lying outside on the ground and by our estimations he was on the front yard for half an hour in agonizing pain. I rushed to the hospital to learn the devastating news that my son tried to commit suicide by drinking drano.
The scene at the emergency room was horrifying. Justin was throwing up blood everywhere, his eyes were wide open, he looked very scared and in panic. He was trying to communicate to me how much pain he was in (writing this brings up all the memories and emotions, I hope to keep my composure and finish this paragraph).
The chemicals were burning his throat, esophagus and the drano was now in his stomach. I could barely make out what he was saying but he was crying from excruciating pain and trying to tell me how sorry he was. Justin was trying to tell me that he drank bleach. Thank god the paramedics went into the house and found a half a gallon jar of drano and were able to notify the emergency room about exactly what he drank to give appropriate treatment.
It has now been almost a week and currently Justin is on life support, he has a feeding tube and a trach tube for breathing. His hands are tied down and the doctors and nurses are trying to control his pain, blood pressure and medications. He now has developed pneumonia and he can hardly talk whenever he becomes conscious for a few minutes a day. The doctors are telling us that Justin will be in the ICU for two months and then in the hospital for 4-6 months. He would require multiple surgeries on esophagus, to open up strictures (scar tissue), and stomach.
The funds will be used to cover Justin’s medical expenses and all surpluses will go to a charity Justin picks when he completely recovers with the help of your prayers and donations.
We pray that you will find the courage and generosity to help Justin recover physically while he is in the hospital and mentally after he recovers.
Sincerely, Kuan Family
About Justin: My boy was always a little different from other kids. I used to run a home daycare with 12 children that I looked after at a time. He would not interact or play with the kids but he would always be kind and share all his toys unconditionally. At 7 years old he was officially diagnosed with Asperger’s and he continued to struggle socially. Justin has become very close with his pets and other animals.
It is probably hard to believe but he has never even mentioned that he didn’t want to live or that he was going to kill himself. On the day before the horrible event he was texting me that he hated his life, he wanted to die. I talked to him about it but he was very short and didn’t want to communicate. Considering this was the first time he said anything like this, I called the NSU (local mental health hot line) next morning to no avail, they called me back only that evening when Justin was already in the hospital.
Justin doesn’t have a lot of close friends but he is the sweetest and most kind and generous kid I have ever known. We are still trying to figure out what pushed him to do this and I am saddened that I wasn’t able to help him. I (his mother) am the closest friend he has, he loves me unconditionally and so do I. I’m trying to stop the ongoing battle within me of crushing thoughts of where I went wrong or what I could have done to prevent this. My only hope now is that he is able to recover and start his life over at his crucial age of peer pressure, social media, going to college, having friends and a normal teenage life.
We are forever grateful for all the help we have received so far.
Justin's facebook page
My facebook page
The scene at the emergency room was horrifying. Justin was throwing up blood everywhere, his eyes were wide open, he looked very scared and in panic. He was trying to communicate to me how much pain he was in (writing this brings up all the memories and emotions, I hope to keep my composure and finish this paragraph).
The chemicals were burning his throat, esophagus and the drano was now in his stomach. I could barely make out what he was saying but he was crying from excruciating pain and trying to tell me how sorry he was. Justin was trying to tell me that he drank bleach. Thank god the paramedics went into the house and found a half a gallon jar of drano and were able to notify the emergency room about exactly what he drank to give appropriate treatment.
It has now been almost a week and currently Justin is on life support, he has a feeding tube and a trach tube for breathing. His hands are tied down and the doctors and nurses are trying to control his pain, blood pressure and medications. He now has developed pneumonia and he can hardly talk whenever he becomes conscious for a few minutes a day. The doctors are telling us that Justin will be in the ICU for two months and then in the hospital for 4-6 months. He would require multiple surgeries on esophagus, to open up strictures (scar tissue), and stomach.
The funds will be used to cover Justin’s medical expenses and all surpluses will go to a charity Justin picks when he completely recovers with the help of your prayers and donations.
We pray that you will find the courage and generosity to help Justin recover physically while he is in the hospital and mentally after he recovers.
Sincerely, Kuan Family
About Justin: My boy was always a little different from other kids. I used to run a home daycare with 12 children that I looked after at a time. He would not interact or play with the kids but he would always be kind and share all his toys unconditionally. At 7 years old he was officially diagnosed with Asperger’s and he continued to struggle socially. Justin has become very close with his pets and other animals.
It is probably hard to believe but he has never even mentioned that he didn’t want to live or that he was going to kill himself. On the day before the horrible event he was texting me that he hated his life, he wanted to die. I talked to him about it but he was very short and didn’t want to communicate. Considering this was the first time he said anything like this, I called the NSU (local mental health hot line) next morning to no avail, they called me back only that evening when Justin was already in the hospital.
Justin doesn’t have a lot of close friends but he is the sweetest and most kind and generous kid I have ever known. We are still trying to figure out what pushed him to do this and I am saddened that I wasn’t able to help him. I (his mother) am the closest friend he has, he loves me unconditionally and so do I. I’m trying to stop the ongoing battle within me of crushing thoughts of where I went wrong or what I could have done to prevent this. My only hope now is that he is able to recover and start his life over at his crucial age of peer pressure, social media, going to college, having friends and a normal teenage life.
We are forever grateful for all the help we have received so far.
Justin's facebook page
My facebook page
Organizer
Marti Kuan
Organizer
Kalamazoo, MI