Joe Joncas

Welcome to Joe's Caring🧡Bridge page. 

Joe had a cut that changed our lives.  

On February 11th at 4am Joe was taken via ambulance to HCMC. He picked up the MSSA (Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus Aureus) staph infection through a hangnail. MSSA is the wicked step-sister of MRSA. 

He aspirated vomit. He was septic. The MSSA infection gave him strokes, attacked his kidneys, gave him internal bleeding, and dissolved his aortic valve by giving him endocarditis. He almost died a number of times. He had successful aortic valve replacement open heart surgery on February 25th where he got a brand new bovine (moo) valve. He was at HCMC for 29 days. On March 11th he was moved to Bethesda Unit 4100 in St. Joe's Hospital for the first phase of his rehab. He had to relearn how to swallow, hold a pencil, stand, walk and everything else that a person does in a day. 

He came home on April 8th. That MSSA infection has taken us on a CrAzY adventure so far. All because of a hang nail. How different things would be if he had worn a band aid that day!

Joe has been retired from WCCO since 1-1-21. So far retirement has been awesome.    🙄