Evan

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Thanks for being here.

Craig's son, Evan, a 26-year old big, fun-loving, easy-going kid, has been dealt an awful hand; on March 9th, his girlfriend dragged him to the ER after his symptoms (which everyone thought was the flu) got out of control.


Here are some photos of Craig and Evan in Miami a couple of years ago, which was the last time Craig went down to take him to a Red Sox Spring training game (before his oldest son, Kyle, moved down there, too).

After 24 hours of testing, they determined that he had Endocarditis (an infection of the heart) which had spread to other organs (including his brain).

Through all the testing, they also discovered that he had a faulty heart valve, and on Friday the 11th he had open heart surgery to have a mechanical valve put in, and to scrape away as much infection as they could.

They found that a second valve was not working well because of the amount of infection that had built up, which is probably what caused what they discovered was a mini-stroke (yikes!), which had happened before he went to the hospital.

Craig, along with his ex-wife, and the other two kids, were all down there, trying to do what they could to be with Evan and help him deal with what was going on.

We had a hugely successful raffle (two tickets to the Red Sox home opener against the Yankees). The raffle, which was managed by a new family friend, Sean Bunn, raised around $5,500 (the total hasn't been fully determined yet).

Thank you for your support. It's times like these you know how big people's hearts are, and how much love and care there is in our lives. We've been overwhelmed already with the generosity of our friends (and strangers, too).

With great love,

Karen

EVAN UPDATE

3/25 - He had his pacemaker installed today. He was happy to have chatted with our brother-in-law's brother, John, who is a cardiologist, because Evan got all of his questions answered, and all of his fears allayed, during their lengthy call last night. He went to sleep pretty calm about the whole thing, and the procedure went well. They expect to discharge him on Monday, which will mean he'll have been in the hospital for 19 days (the exact same length of stay as Craig's adventure, back in the summer of 2004).

3/22 - Evan learned that he will, in fact, need a pacemaker, which is due to be "installed" on Monday. They're thinking they'll be able to discharge him on Wednesday, sending him home to continue his recovery with the care of visiting nurses. He's getting used to the idea, and it's not as bad as it was at one time - now these things are about the size of a half-dollar, and will not inhibit his life at all.

3/20 - The raffle drawing was done today, and Jim DiCiaccio from North Carolina was the ECSTATIC winner of the two Sox tickets.

3/19 - Craig flew home today - Evan's mother and sister will be there for about one more week. Evan is also surrounded by lots of loyal and wonderful friends, along with his stalwart brother (who is also his roommate). Oh, and the girlfriends (yes, more than one).

3/18 - Evan's better today, and feeling very grateful for all the love and support he's surrounded with (I've never heard him like this before...it's very moving). The Red Sox ticket raffle has hit the $4,000 mark so far! Wow!

3/17 - A little downturn today - more emotional, probably. He did need to have a line put in to bleed out some excess air next to one lung. It's needed for 24 - 48 hrs. only, and the procedure was bedside, with local anesthesia.

3/16 - The valve they used for Evan's heart is made of graphite, and is good for 150 years! There's a 50/50 chance he won't need a permanent pacemaker (wowee!), and the bacteria that has caused all this trouble was the strep bacteria. There is also a chance that he may be discharged as early as next week with a VNA twice a day to tend to his IV antibiotic (which he'll need for 4 - 6 weeks). Craig said that Evan is "talking to himself like a warrior". Fabulous!

3/15 - Evan was asking for Gatorade this morning (and not just any type...he had specific requests! That was good for him, and it was good for Craig, who had a mission to accomplish). He's been more aware/awake, his heart beat on its own again today for a short while. We find out what the specific bacteria was that caused so much trouble some time today (it's 4:30p right now).

3/14 - They got him up and walking around today. His heart beat on its own today for a little while, which is great news (he's wired to a pacemaker). His catheter is out and he's peeing on his own (hmmm...TMI?).

Do you have a relationship dream? Karen Jones can help.
Call: (978) 557-9993 or email: karen@theheartmatters.com