Mike Kaster

In July, Mike went into the hospital due to complications from Covid-19. It has been a long journey of ups and downs, and he still has a long way to go. Mike started just on 100% forced oxygen for two weeks and never got better. On August 5th, the doctors put him onto a ventilator to give his body a rest from all the fighting he was doing. The next day the doctors decided that Mike needed to be put on ECMO. ECOM is where they take blood out of the body, oxygenated it, and then put the blood back in. That day the doctors decided he needed to be considered for a lung transplant. Everyone started taking the necessary steps to see if he was a candidate for the lung transplant and talked to the Ohio State University transplant team. Once OSU accepted Mikes's case, they transferred him to their hospital on August 12th. The transfer went smoothly, and he is now settled in his ICU room at OSU. Now, the doctors are waiting for a series of tests to come back before deciding if he is a good candidate for a lung transplant. On top of all the tests being done, Mike has now picked up a secondary infection and is trying to fight that off as well. The doctors are working very hard to help Mike get better. 

While this was all happening, Joan, Mike's wife, had never left his bedside, except when the nursing staff would ask her to leave at night. Kind, happy, and positive thoughts for her would be very much appreciated. 

What Mike's family needs right now from everyone is lots of prayers and positive thoughts.