Brian Holmes Brian Holmes

On Dec 13th 2020 56 year old Brian Holmes tested positive for COVID, and his wife Kathie tested positive just a few day later.  Kathie was able to slowly recover, but for Brian it hit his lungs hard.  Brian was taken to the local hospital where Kathie works as a nurse.  There  they were surrounded by people Kathie knew, working hard for Brian’s survival. The hospital gave Brian great care, but the progression of his symptoms put him into a critical state fast. They had to intubate him,  and even that was not enough. His organs were failing and heart rate was going thru the roof.  Not only was Brians lungs not working from the damage, but he had to endure this in isolation from his family and without being able to use his voice to communicate. With the quick reaction by his care team he was sent to a hospital that could better care for his lungs.  His family was told that he might not make the transport. 

When he got to the second hospital, they were waiting with open arms ready to start treatment. They worked fast getting Brian on a ventilator and ecmo machine with heavy sedation, giving his body time to heal.   He stayed in that state for about six weeks with a physical therapist coming in every couple hours moving his limbs because he was too weak to move and still not able to talk.  Soon as  they lifted some of the COVID restrictions and allowed one visitor,  Kathie has been by his side being his voice and support. If you have ever had the unfortunate experience to have a family or friend in such dire need,  you know how important that is.    

It is now 3 months since his diagnosis. They have not worked since December but  have received a portion of their income to cover necessities from their disability insurance and the bills are starting to pile up. They are talking about selling their home to get rid of the financial burden that it has now become.  Brian was recently sent to a hospital out of state for evaluation for a lung transplant. He has received his results and the Dr’s feel he is a good candidate. They are hoping to get his strength built up to be put on the list in the next couple weeks.  Brian is getting stronger everyday and is pushing hard thru the pain. This week he walked 40ft and had a trach collar put on so he could speak his first words since Dec 24th. As you can imagine, the treatment for COVID and the upcoming surgery has caused  an incredible physical, emotional and financial strain on the family.  Making a donation is a concrete way the the community can show their support for Brian and his family.  The funds raised will be used to lessen the burden of the medical and living expenses for his family while he is undergoing surgery and care. 

Brian and Kathie just celebrated 34 years of marriage in February and have never been apart.  They have two children Jake and Jessica.  They also have two beautiful grandchildren that they absolutely adore. Their love for life and people spreads outside of their family in the way that Kathie has served the community by being a nurse and has dedicated her life to helping others. They have a love for the outdoors and camping with their family and friends.  If you get the opportunity to meet them you will feel like an old friend in minutes. The Holmes family greatly appreciates all the prayers and support that family, friends and community have given them to get to this part of their journey and thank GOD for the strength to continue. Please consider making a donation to help them recover from the damage caused by this horrible virus. As so many loved ones have been affected, it is through the strength of many where hope is found. We hope your family is safe, we pray that hope never fades from your thoughts, and we hope that if it does, the many that surround you quickly restore it. Blessings to you and yours, and thank you for reading this family’s incredible journey to find their hope!