Mark Burstein

On Thanksgiving evening, my dad woke up in a lot of pain. The previous week he had been treated for kidney stones and was scheduled for surgery the following week. What happened next was unforeseen complication that began this series of challenging events. My dads stint became infected and as a result gave him a kidney infection. The complications spiraled from there as he wound up in the ICU at St. Luke’s Hospital and has been there since. He had sepsis through his entire body. After weeks of tests and no response from all treatments, his team of doctors found a rare kidney Disease known as HUS. He has been on medication for this rare condition for about 2 weeks. 

On top of everything, my mom can only visit for a short each time while me and my uncle are unable to visit him due to Covid-19. 


He is still  on a  ventilator the majority of the time and is on dialysis as well. He was in a medically induced coma for the last two weeks. 



They have slowly started to reduce his sedation and he has shown signs of waking up. He has been able to nod his head, blink his eyes, and wiggle his feet. Last week, they performed a tracheotomy and put in a feeding tube.  They have slowly started weening him off the ventilator in order for him to breath on his own. 


On Christmas, I was able to visit him a short while and held his hand. He was off sedation, is alert and can understand what we are saying. It was great to see him smile although he can not talk or move his body much. 


As we continue this journey, my mom is looking for a long-term rehabilitation facility for the next steps for my dad. Their priority will be to give him the needed therapy to completely be off the ventilator. This will be a long journey and we appreciate your love and support of our family. Please continue your prayers for my dad. 


Love,


    Jake