In my time of grief at the loss of Lou Church, my dear wife of 38 years, I am asking for your support.
Due to a fall that broke her hip, Lou suffered complications over a long and difficult four months. Lou’s battle was the hardest fought and she gave it her all. But the ordeal has put a financial strain on our family. We are struggling to deal with the aftermath.
With unpaid time off from work, the breakdown of the family car, and other burdens, I have come to the point of needing support. For those able to contribute to this fund, I ask for your help. For those who cannot, please keep us in your prayers. With all my heart, I thank you.

Lou’s Battle
My beautiful wife was in stage 5 renal failure when we were getting everything set up to do PD dialysis from home.
On March 07, 2025 she tripped and broke her hip while at home. Hip surgery went very well but was just the beginning of Lou’s troubles. Her story is a cautionary tale that emphasizes the need for patient advocacy.

Lou was discharged to a rehab center where she made very good gains. Her appointment to remove surgical staples had x-rays showing that everything was going great.

On Tuesday March 25th at 7:30 she complained of slight back pain. We thought maybe she over did it at rehab, she liked to do extra.
On March 26th it progressed to severe back pain to the point of tears and agitation. I complained to the rehab day shift nurse who did no more than give her pain medication before they went off shift. Lou’s pain had not improved, so I asked the night shift nurse to please evaluate her condition. With their assurance they would do so, visiting hours ended, she seemed a little better, and I went home. But the next morning the rehab center called to tell me they had sent her to the ER. I asked what happened, but they told me they didn’t know and hung up.

She was in the ER 10 hours completely incoherent with severe septic shock. Finally, they transferred her to the ICU, intubated her, and administered 6 IV's with blood pressure support. After 22 frightening days in the ICU, she stabilized and was slowly taken off blood pressure support. But the doctors found a large, blistered wound on the back of her heel and a wound on her hip that she contracted at the rehab center. She was transferred to a new rehab facility that was much, much better, however she still had the wounds that were being addressed. She also suffered massive swelling that increased her weight by almost 40 pounds.

Due to fluid buildup in her lungs, she started having difficulty breathing. In response, they pulled 1200ml of fluid per week, and later 1400ml per week. Her breathing remained labored, and her blood pressure was very low, so they sent her back to the ER.
When they admitted her to the ICU, they pulled another 1600ml of fluid. This resulted in only temporary relief. Her breathing worsened to the point they had to intubate her again with mild sedative.

The ICU nurses informed me she was maxed out on treatment with IV's she was placed on a Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) machine giving her 24/7 dialysis, and blood pressure support. In this condition, they would be unable to respond to any further complications.

She fought with all her might and hung on for 3 days but at 4:45 in the morning on Saturday June 14th her little body just couldn't fight it any longer. Our sweet Lou passed away quietly with no pain.
My beautiful wife of 38 years went home to heaven.
June 24th would have been our 39th anniversary.
"I love you more than you'll ever know and will miss you greatly my sweet pea"