UPDATE AS OF MAY 20,2026:

-Zach is currently admitted in the ICU. He is septic with pneumonia and it has spread to his bloodstream. He is on a medication called Levophed to keep his blood pressure up as it was extremely low. He is getting large amounts of IV fluids, IV antibiotics. He was just getting back on his feet from the previous liver problems and yesterday started turning yellow again, so I had him go to the ER where I work. It was found that he is septic and has the pneumonia. He had no symptoms at all until he started with fever, chills, and bodyaches yesterday. Initially, we just thought he had Covid or the flu and the home Covid test was negative. Later in the day when he sent me a picture of himself and how yellow he was is when I told him he needed to get up to the ER immediately. Any prayers and donations would be greatly appreciated as we are struggling with bills currently. He was just getting back on his feet and getting back into the swing of things when this happened. This happened suddenly and was completely unexpected and there were no symptoms of the pneumonia until yesterday morning as listed above. Good news is he does not have flu or Covid but we do not know how long he will be in the hospital. For now, he will remain in the ICU getting IV antibiotics and getting a multitude of other medication’s along with the medication to keep his blood pressure up.

-Zach is doing better. Things are slowly returning to normal however finances are still very tight and struggling to pay bills. We have also started a tattoo raffle for a 500$ value tattoo our good friend who works at Ink Insurgency has helped us with! I have attached the link here!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AkzkwWCK3/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Hi everyone,

Many of you know that my husband Zach has lived with a clotting disorder (Factor V Leiden) and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) for years. These conditions have always required careful monitoring, but in the past when he needed hospitalization for complications, he would recover, stabilize, and return home doing well.

Back in 2022, Zach was first diagnosed with a clot in the portal vein of his liver. That discovery ultimately led to the diagnosis of Factor V Leiden, a genetic clotting disorder that increases the risk of abnormal blood clots. At that time he was started on a blood thinner (Eliquis) to help prevent further clotting.

Since New Year’s Eve, however, things have unfortunately become more complicated.

On New Year’s Eve Zach was hospitalized at UT Southwestern where doctors discovered that he had developed a new clot in his superior mesenteric vein, despite already being on Eliquis. The superior mesenteric vein is a major vein that drains blood from the intestines to the liver, and clots there can cause serious complications and require very careful long-term management.

Since that hospitalization, additional health issues have also been identified. Zach has now been diagnosed with liver disease and sleep apnea, and his doctors are working closely to manage several complex conditions at the same time.

Because he requires blood thinners to manage his clotting disorder while also dealing with autoimmune hemolytic anemia, his care requires extremely careful monitoring. Balancing these conditions safely has become much more complicated than it has been in the past.

What has been especially difficult is that the hospitalizations and complications are starting to happen closer together instead of stabilizing after treatment like they previously did. Because of this, his doctors are now working to monitor and manage as much of his care as possible from home in hopes of preventing repeated hospitalizations.

To safely manage this, Zach now needs additional medical monitoring and equipment at home, including:

• A home INR monitoring machine to safely manage his warfarin levels 

• Frequent lab testing and ongoing care with hematology and hepatology specialists 

• Sleep apnea treatment equipment and evaluation 

• Medications and ongoing medical supplies related to his conditions 

Even with insurance, many of these costs and pieces of equipment come with significant out-of-pocket expenses, and the medical bills have started to add up quickly.

Medical Timeline

• 2022: Zach developed a clot in the portal vein of his liver, which led to the diagnosis of Factor V Leiden. He was started on Eliquis to prevent further clotting.

• New Year’s Eve: Zach was hospitalized at UT Southwestern where doctors discovered a new clot in his superior mesenteric vein despite being on blood thinners.

• January–February: Ongoing testing revealed additional complications including worsening anemia from his autoimmune hemolytic anemia and new concerns related to liver disease.

• Recent hospitalizations: Zach required blood transfusions and further testing as doctors evaluated how to safely manage his clotting disorder while balancing the risks of his anemia and liver complications.

• Current care plan: His medical team is now working to manage as much of his care as possible from home through INR monitoring, specialist care, and treatment for sleep apnea to help prevent further hospitalizations.

Why we’re asking for help

While we have always managed Zach’s chronic conditions, the addition of liver disease, clotting complications that required changing his medications, and new medical equipment needs has created a level of care we have never had to navigate before.

We are doing everything we can to manage these conditions safely at home, but doing so requires additional equipment, monitoring, and ongoing specialist care.

If you feel led to help, any donation — no matter the size — would mean so much to our family. If donating isn’t possible, sharing this page is another powerful way to support us.

Most importantly, we appreciate your prayers for Zach, wisdom for his doctors, and strength for our family as we navigate this difficult season.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for supporting our family.