April 5, 2017
Thank you all for your continued support and prayers. I wanted to start this page to update those who do not follow Facebook or GoFundMe, and to keep a diary of Dave’s progress. Dave thought he had a case of the flu in late February. After a few days, his girlfriend found him at home, unable to breath. She took him to urgent care where he was immediately sent, and admitted, to the hospital. He was diagnosed with legionella pneumonia and sepsis throughout his entire body. For the past 5 weeks Dave has been in the ICU at Lutheran Medical Center, fighting for his life. Most of this time is spent in a medically induced coma, to let his body rest and his lungs repair. While the pneumonia and sepsis have subsided, he developed ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) and Pulmonary Fibrosis (scarring of the lungs), while in the hospital. Dave has good days and bad days. A little over a week ago he had a tracheostomy with the hope they could wake him. Late last week he rallied and did wake up. He was unable to speak, but he mouthed words, responded to noises, squeezed my mom’s hand, and seemed to recognize family, and Carrie. Unfortunately, he had a minor set-back over the weekend and was placed in a medically induced coma once again. Today the doctors moved the feeding tube from his nose to his stomach. The procedure was successful and his numbers are improving. Dave has a long, hard road ahead of him, but our family remains committed to the challenge and optimistic for his recovery. We encourage visitors however, Dave is very susceptible to illness right now. If you are not feeling well, have the sniffles, or anything else, please consider this prior to visiting. Again, on behalf of myself and my family (including Carrie), thank you. Your unwavering support, prayers, and thoughts lift us and Dave up, every day. Thank you.
Note: If you wish to donate to Dave’s medical and living expenses, please visit our GoFundMe page at
https://www.gofundme.com/HelpDaveNewblom 
