Jackson's Recovery, Valley Center, KS (2025)

11/03/2021

Hello all! We appreciate that so many of you have asked for an update on Jackson and life in general. We’ve all been so wrapped up in daily life and so many things and time just got away from us. Karen asked me to get this done so she and I worked up an update together. We have a lot of information to cover but we’ll be as brief as possible.

Jackson is doing well, all things considered. Life is certainly different than anyone planned. Turning 19 has been great but sure brought lots of changes to the table especially with his healthcare. Their complicated health care situation and the sudden cancellation of that healthcare brought a mountain of stress and more and more paperwork for Karen to work and sift through so that Karen and Corey can continue to intercede on Jackson’s behalf.

Thankfully, his therapists continued treatment during the interim time with no health care coverage. This has been an amazing help and an answer to prayer. At the same time some of Jackson’s coverage had to be changed in in home care verses “in house” at a PT facility.

Jackson had a checkup with their family doctor in August. During this visit, he and Karen were able to listen to the original 911 call from the morning Jackson was found. As we shared early on, he was found unresponsive and thanks to the nurse who found him and knew the best protocol to order for this type of patient in their area helped bring Jackson back to us that morning. The 911 call was very difficult for them to hear but it was intended to further strengthen what type of situation Jackson’s body is in from where we started. The doctor explained that the heart and lungs have been severely damaged. Temporary or permanent is truly in God’s hands, we don’t know yet.

The doctor further warned that since the Covid numbers had been increasing in their area, they would need to take extra precautions for Jackson’s safety. Jackson must wear an N95 mask when he goes out anywhere. He reminded them that day that Jackson had been on the very last machine medicine had to offer to keep him alive, the ECMO machine. The least amount of respiratory distress could have severe repercussions and the chances of him surviving could be very slim. At that time their doctor stated they would need to live for now by strict protocals to keep Jackson safe from Covid and any other illness at this time. He can no longer be around anyone not vaccinated and because those vaccinated can be carriers, quarantining before seeing them is mandatory until his heart and lungs heal more.

The ECMO machine was so important in the life saving efforts for Jackson and without it, he wouldn’t be here today. However, the heart, lung and nerve issues are partially lingering issues due to being on the ECMO machine as well and how it works to keep your body alive. The afternoon of May 15, when they sat us down and told us the ECMO was his last chance of survival, the team also explained the risks involved with his organs. Since Jackson had had a seizure and that stomach acid had stayed in his lungs, there was an even greater risk of damage. However, it was the last hope for survival so we were left with no other choices at that time. It was their last ditch effort to live. The ECMO did the work of his heart and lungs so bear in mind, at that point, those organs were both so damaged and unsurvivable if left on their own.

The biggest issue right now is breathing. Since he’s been off life support and the ECMO, they have had to take his breathing stats constantly. Karen and Bri check his breathing stats multiple times a day, Jackson has breathing exercises he has to do daily and they are slowly helping the lungs heal.

The heart issue is also affecting his breathing challenges because it is also still healing. They will be doing other less invasive tests at some point, but for now, they are giving time for healing and taking it very easy. Jackson was having a very difficult time with an elevated heart rate when he was first released from the hospital. That has been somewhat resolved with medication and breathing exercises and more time to heal. EKG’s and Echo’s keep a close check on his heart and it’s continued healing.

The nerve damage on his right leg is getting better. The drop foot issue is resolving through PT. He has a special stimulation machine for the nerves in his leg and foot and through that PT his foot use is slowly better each day. The specialist is contemplating potential surgery for this issue in the near future to repair the nerves that cannot heal themselves. Jackson has limited mobility and finds it hard to sit up for too long at a time due to all of these issues combined.

There is a lag sometimes between his thoughts and verbal responses. This is certainly to be expected after all his body has been through. It may hang around or get better, again it’s one day at a time. For now, we know he needs a little more time to respond and process. Honestly, we all could benefit from a pause before responding. The world might be a better place if we did that. It’s a great pause for thought!

Jackson is unfortunately still losing weight. There was hope that his heart meds would help his appetite but they instead have done the opposite and suppressed his appetite more than it was before. He began this journey weighing 124 and right now is down to 110. The doctors have also explained his body is still reacting to the trauma it’s endured and is helping suppress his appetite along with all the medication that’s needed to help him heal. Karen tells him each day he can have absolutely anything he wants to eat. He tries hard but someday’s he just can’t eat. The most fattening food is the best for him right now. We all tease that we’d love to be told we could eat the most fattening thing out there and not gain weight. LOL!

One of the most funniest moments after Jackson was released from the hospital and went to the doctor for the first time. They discovered while on life support and the ECMO machine he had actually grown 3 inches!!! His now 6’3” self thought that was funny and so did we!!

This week we found out Jackson’s health insurance was temporarily reinstated while waiting on disability to work through their process. This was such a “Thank the Lord” moment since Jackson’s surgery needed to happen soon for his leg and foot. This will help keep them going in the right direction for healing.

Bri has been an amazing help with and for Jackson and has stood by his side through literally thick and thin. Those two are a very sweet couple and great to watch together. Karen has been able to focus more on getting the paperwork done and appointments set and all the other normal life stuff that needed to be taken care of.

Karen has truly worked her butt off keeping things going as best she could. When she gets overwhelmed and the realities of the situation take over, she calls. We cry and get mad together about life in general, then we do our best to move on and gather a plan of action for what is needed on that day. She called one evening in tears because she was worried about what would happen if she got sick somehow. I reassured her we can pack quickly and stay as quarantined as possible just in case we are needed. Corey has kept things going by working as much as he could which has been a huge help. Karen decided last week she wanted Corey to come home to help. The stress of what could have happened and what is happening is taking a toll on them as well as all of us. He is heading home and I believe, will be there for a few months. Taking a much needed break for him is necessary for them as well.

Lots of therapy and hard conversations have been able to happen during the last few months to deal with the thoughts, feelings etc. surrounding this difficult situation in our entire family. We’ve hugged our kids, our grands and our great grands a lot closer and tell them “I love you” a lot more whether they like it or not. This ordeal has certainly put things in perspective for many of us. Had that nurse not been in that place at that time, we know what our outcome would have been. Had he not been able to be put in line for the ECMO machine would have been another life altering moment and on and on.

Jackson has the entire situation in perspective though. When he came out of his coma we told him about how we circled and surrounded his bedside in the ER in Wichita, held hands together and Grandma led a prayer and pleaded with God to heal our Boy and make him whole again. He says “Grandma, I’m a miracle, all the doctors and nurses said so and you told me a bunch of times that I’m left here for a reason.” Yes buddy, I did say that and it’s absolutely correct! God is so good and we are marching on! There is much more healing that needs to happen but we trust God for all Jackson’s needs every single day!! Waiting brings faithbuilding and strength for the journey.

I will say this from Grandma and Grammy, we have watched our grandson truly battle for his life and we could not be more proud of his positive perspective and quick wit and persistence in not giving up!!
Go Jackson Go!!!

November 15, 2021 will be the 6 month anniversary of the date this ordeal began. We are thankful and want to honor the thousands of you who have prayed our family through this entire situation and continue to pray for Jackson’s daily healing and strength for our family. We are so thankful and grateful for the teams of doctors and nurses in OKC and in Wichita who helped and continue to help our sweet grandson heal. His family is forever grateful for his healing to date and what is yet to come. We believe we will see his complete healing. Please pray for Karen, Corey and Bri as they attend to Jackson’s daily needs. Pray for Drew and Shelby and the kiddos and Jackson’s grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and everyone else in his life that cares and loves him and tries to keep in contact with all of them as best we can. None of us could have made it this far without the encouragement and prayers from all of you. THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! Keep those prayers going, they are working!

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.”

In Christ,

Jackson and his family

07/21/2021

It’s been so long since we’ve been able to update. I don’t know how good this will be but it’s time for me to get in the swing of things. I am going to stop right now and post one! I have tried so many times and somehow, I end up sitting here at 1am with an appointment the next morning and thinking I don’t know if this even made sense! I end up saying no and the days add up.

I want you all to know how thankful we are for this community. I can’t even put into words the gratitude we have. The cards, letters, messages… even if we haven’t had the time to message back you just don’t even know how many times one of you reaching out was exactly what one of us needed. I want you all to know how much I appreciate it.

This place is important too because we live away from so many of our friends and family. With most of our friends and family living away this is the best place that I can update everyone on how Jackson is doing. I’ve noticed a few times this has been a source of encouragement and inspiration for Jackson. After Shelby and Drew showed it to him the first time, he just kept talking about it. People that changed their profile pictures, the messages on here. His words were so simple but so important “I didn’t think that many people cared.” I told him you have people you don’t even know thinking about you and praying for you.

It’s been hard to give some updates because there are so many unknowns. Sometimes we get good news, sometimes not good and a lot of wait and see. There are times physical therapy or even a doctor’s appointment turns into news you don’t want to hear. You walk out with more fear than news. I think it’s made it a lot harder to share. I can’t help but think of it’s that feeling of it I say it then it might be real. We’ve hit a lot of those speedbumps over the last month and I know it’s contributed to a lot less updates. But the truth is it hasn’t made the struggle any less by not sharing. It’s made it more isolating.

Jackson has been slowly progressing and I’m really proud of him. When you look at him it’s hard to know where he is physically. It’s not broken bones or something that you can visually see, most of it at least. Overall his system is really weak and I’ve struggled for the right words to explain it. I finally decided the best way to do that would be to tell you some of what the doctor told Jackson when he had to come up with a gameplan for how to handle this. After talking with him a little he said something to the effect of:

They did their job, they saved your life. Now it’s my job to keep you alive.

That put things into perspective quickly. He told him that he has to keep in mind that he just came off of not just life support but the last possible option that medicine has to offer anyone. All of his body is weak and his entire system is weak. The reason is your body is fighting. Even though you can’t see it it’s fighting right now while we sit here. That’s how you were able to get off of ECMO (the machine he was on) so quickly. It’s ok to feel like a stranger in your own body. You will feel better in time but we have got to do everything we can to give your body time to heal and gain strength.

The overall approach right now is there are a lot of different health concerns, but some aren’t so serious that it wouldn’t be ok to deal with those later as he has more strength. They want to try to do anything possible to keep anything out of his body. The whole purpose is if he has a set back or a serious medical problem arise doctors would know it’s not an adverse reaction from something they started treating. They are doing everything they can to keep him safe and encouraging him that he will get there.

Here are the areas that are of biggest concern right now. We slowly get updates and some can be checked off for now and some can’t. I’ve attempted to write this update and tell you what we know on each one but that is just too long… seriously, I’ve tried so many different ways and there’s no way to shorten it lol. I think I’ll just list where he is and then later I will go into each of the concerns and give everyone an update. I know some of you don’t need that much detail but I know some would really like to know. So that’s my plan…. For now.

Neurological – A few EEGs at different phases and MRI - he will have to take seizure medicine for the rest of his life. There could be some neurological things along the way but he avoided a serious TBI. Thank you Jesus.

Cardiac -his heart rate is still too high - EKG said ok for now. They are going to watch for a little bit longer before intervening.

Respiratory – Chest xray - Lungs are clear with no fluid 😊. They are damaged from the stomach acid that was in them. They warned us of that when they came to Wichita to try to see if ECMO would even work for him so we knew this part. They take a very long time to heal but it doesn’t mean they won’t. They just need time.

His right foot– This has been the source of a lot of emotion for all of us and this is where most of Jackson’s time is spent right now. He has severe nerve damage in his right leg. I will do a separate post on this so I can get the exact medical terms but it’s been hard. We went through a scare where they thought the nerve was dying off. Then there was worry there was a problem in the neurological connection. It’s a whole post in itself so I’ll save that. I know it sounds really dump that this is where there’s emotion. Believe me I think of it too. He shouldn’t even be here and we are worried about his foot? We have two more appointments just this week around that so I will update.

His weight – He started this at a whole 135 pounds and a month ago he weighed 113. He now weighs 114 pounds. The doctor said at the time he doesn’t need a special diet. Don’t overthink it. Give him whatever he wants as much as he will eat it. We have tried that and this kid can normally EAT! He still has an appetite, but I’ve noticed he gets full a lot faster. I wonder if he gets full faster because of the time he spent on the feeding tube since it bypasses your stomach. I don’t know but we just keep working at it.

I don’t know that I touched on everything, I’m sure that seemed like a whole lot. Those were the things I could think of off the top of my head. His body still needs time to get stronger and I know that has to be hard for him right now. I’m really proud of him though. He’s said this at therapy a couple of times and I didn’t realize it at first. He does a lot better getting out and going places. He’s enjoying going to his cousin’s and even some friend’s games… baseball and softball in particular. He had so much fun at the air show, and I thought he would say no because he would have to be in the wheelchair, but he didn’t. I am really proud of him for that. It’s easy to become self-conscious in these situations and shut down more and he’s working hard to fight against that.

I think that’s enough for now 😊. I hope you are all doing well and thank you so much for all your support!!!

Much love,
Karen

06/28/2021

Exciting day today…. First day of outpatient physical therapy! ! At the doctor Jackson weighed in at a whole 113 pounds, so let’s see if he put some weight on. He wanted CiCi’s Pizza this weekend so we jumped on that. Grandma & Grandpa Pore, Kirsten & Gaige met us there.

Shelby, Drew & the kids came to visit him for the weekend and he had fun going to the zoo. He loves getting out of the house! I’m so thankful for every step he’s been given.

All prayers gratefully accepted!! His doctor’s appointment had some good and some bad. Doctor says he still has a very long way to go but he is keeping the spirit and attitude that he needs to keep that focus. We are all so so proud of him.

06/14/2021

Weekend update! Please keep praying for our situation. Things are much better than they were but there’s still a long way to go! We are so blessed!

06/14/2021

It’s been a long time since an update and I just want to let everyone know that Jackson is hanging in there. Making the transition home has been hard. But, we are getting better at it and before long he will be ready to make his next transition which will be getting him out of the house for his therapies.

We’ve had some definite challenges along the way. He’s still struggling to take it all in and understand what his body has been through. I still think we made the right call to bring him home for care instead of going to a rehabilitation facility. He knew the hospital was his bubble and he couldn't really be prepared for what coming home would be like. He said right away he knew he couldn't really take all of this in but it was really eye opening to be home and see his limitations in his own environment. I think at first he had so many doubts in what his body was going to be able to do. He hadn’t seen the way his body had fought and was continuing to.

I can’t imagine what it is like to wake up from a coma. We have had to sit down quite a bit and explain to him why he feels so terrible, and we look so happy. The moods didn’t match. He was in the fight for his life and we are happy he’s alive. So many things have happened between now and then and there’s so much that I’d like to share with you. It's just everything we can do to be there for him and get a little bit of sleep to just make it. I have no idea what I would do without the support system that we have.

While there's a lot to fill in here are the most recent updates –

Neuro - his MRI and EEG did both come back without any huge red flags. We can't exactly close the book on that section of things. He will have to take seizure medicine for the rest of his life. But at least now too we have a lot of neurological testing to work with if it's needed later too.

He did also develop foot drop at the very end of his hospital stay. When someone is in bed for so long their feet tend to just lay flat because they aren't using those muscles to hold them up. If they lay in that flat position too long they are stuck that way. You lose the ability to move them completely on your own. Sometimes it's just a rehabilitation of the muscles, sometimes it's neurological too so those nerves have some problems. They had boots on him most of the time to prevent it. We were surprised because his body had really done very good with all of the little things. But we noticed his right foot right away when they had him take a step the first time. We wonder if it happened in the 5-6 day time frame he was really sick when he was transferred back to Wichita. He was getting sick so often I'm not sure they really could completely pay attention to it as much.

It has made trying to walk a little more complicated. But, once he is able to start outpatient therapy I really feel like that's going to go fairly fast. They can use electronic stimulation (e-stem) in combination with regular therapy and he should be able to recover without needing aggressive intervention. I have noticed too that it has imporoved some from where it was when it started and everyone has assured us that it is still a rehabilitation sitaution not surgury so that's a good thing.

Now I really wanted to share a special moment that I think all of us needed. Just like a lot of us Jackson’s best friends for years have been his cousins. Once they got the call that Saturday morning so many people drove straight here, and they sat with us at the hospital for hours with us. We were all so glad when we got the call that the doctors from Oklahoma City were on their way but none of us felt like all was going to be fine. Even as the doctors were on their way about 30 mins before they arrived I they let the entire family into Jackson’s ICU bay to say our goodbyes. This is a hospital with serious Covid precautions, and they let every single one of us in there together. None of us doubted why that was. We knew that was because there was a chance we were never going to see him again. We all did our best to collect ourselves and go back to the waiting room to just sit and wait.

One of the hardest things for Jackson has been seeing a couple of pictures of some of their pain that day/night. He was having a hard time understanding what even happened and all of us showed him some pictures to give him a timeline. As people went through things with him, he eventually saw a picture and it really did break his heart. I told him at that point we were all waiting to hear if they were successful hooking him up to the ecmo machine. I told them the doctors were very honest with us and they made sure we understood there was a chance of so many complications but the first one being Jackson may not survive being flipped over onto his back for them to place the machine.

That has been such a focus for him. And this weekend they were able to see each other for the first time. Here are a few videos of some of the moments. Can I just say too that they have never once hugged in their entire lives???? They are the kids who try their best but usually stand there like poles and let you hug them???? It was a moment all of us had been waiting for.

Thank you to all of you for everything you have done! So many of you have been so generous in so many different ways. Whether it’s been with your time, prayers, and those who have been able to help financially. We know what a difficult time this is for so many of you and you have gone above and beyond. I have no idea where we would be without it. With everything Jackson has needed and both of us being off work it has made such a hard situation a little less hard. If all goes well and we can get things set up well we are hoping one of us can return to workin the next few weeks. Thank you all again for your kind hearts! Please keep us in your prayers we have many many more months to go at a minimum but that's ok.

Much love, Karen

06/02/2021

This is just all so overwhelming and fast. I guess thinking he would be on a machine for 3 months and it being so much shorter started it all. Last week... constant fever, constant throwing up and so delirious I guess is the best word. We felt almost more helpless than when he was on machines. You are right there and there’s nothing you can do. Now... he’s made it off the feeding tube and it’s time to start making decisions about our next step.

The system just kinda works where you pass to the next level of care. His next step would be to go to a rehabilitation center until he could at least be independent or closer to it but I made the decision early on if he could get past the cath and the feeding tube we would opt out of the rehabilitation center. There are great places and good purposes for them but I don’t think it’s a good fit for Jackson. Every doctor has worried about what a place like that would do for his mental health so that made the decision even more for us.

I cared for Damien my brother in law while he was paralyzed and after his spinal cord injury for quite a few years. I have confidence I can attend to the physical needs that he would need and then take him to the specialists that will follow. I know a lot of people may not agree with our decision but early on it was just something I was really scared of for him. So please please pray for our family as we try to make a mad dash to get the house prepared for a patient. It’s all come back but this is different, it’s always different. He’s got a LONG physical journey. He still requires 24 hour monitoring and if course a lot of care. I just don’t think a facility for a bit is a good fit. Of course we will remain open in case that needs to change.

Right now we just want to build a strong safe support bubble around him as he gets into the next REAL work. I’m not niave I know things will get much harder when we get home. We all know the mental journey is as hard as the physical.

05/31/2021

It’s my turn to get a little sleep. I just realized we have hit a point where Jackson for the first time has been alive..... awake and would be considered in stable condition for 24 hours 😢. I was laying there in my bed next to him and I reached over to touch him and he was warm... I thought fever is back because it hasn’t been gone long. They took his temp a bit later... it was still normal. He was warm because he was sleeping in his favorite blanket and blood is running through his body. I’m so superstitious so you have no idea what that took for me to say but I’m gonna take a leap of faith.

Next goal - feeding tube. He wants a drink of water so bad and he’s so patient he hasn’t complained. They are working on writing and he was asked to write a sentence. I wish I could remember it word for word but he wrote a very descriptive sentence about... water 😂.

We so appreciate... I can’t even put into words everything so many of you have done, are doing. I can’t explain the look on his face when he saw Facebook... people that are here, people who had shared his page, people who changed their profile pictures... he said he didn’t know everyone cared so much. Even some close family. I said well when you have constant anxiety, don’t like talking and hate for people to look at you I could see how that may surprise you. I said people who love you show you they love you by giving you a safe space. Making you feel comfortable. He’s talked more in the last few days than all of the years before combined. I know it will be hard to help him continue this new approach to life but I pray all of us gain the knowledge in how to do that.

Thank you guys so much!!! This mama needs a little sleep.

This was his first sleep over 30 mins Friday... that has been helpful!

05/30/2021

I wanted to post this separately from our update today. Jackson has been so touched and amazed at the fact that so many people have been praying for him and for all of us. Many have asked for a place to send cards to him because he enjoys hearing from people in this way. I am encouraging each of you to flood their PO Box with cards and notes for Jackson to read. Encouraging words are so helpful for his healing. Please mail to

Jackson Sandoval
Corey &/Or Karen Pore
P.O. Box 465
Valley Center KS 67147

Thank you in advance!!

05/30/2021

What a week and a day this has been. Lots of changes going on and still lots of uncertainty ahead. One thing is abundantly clear according to health care workers, doctors etc. our Jackson is truly a walking miracle!! Is he considered well now? Absolutely not!! We stand with and beside him, in faith, believing his healing is happening now and will continue on. We see it happening a little more each day right before our eyes. One Oklahoma doctor put it best, "He was on those machines just over a week. I've never seen a patient get off that machine so quickly. She said, simply put, that was and is "divine intervention" and I have no other explanation. Jackson is still on his feeding tube and cannot yet stand on his own. His lungs still have fluid in them and will just take time to heal. It will be crucial for him to be careful not to be around anyone sick and we will have to watch very closely for Covid still lurking about. He is off oxygen today and we are hoping that continues to improve but that is uncertain at this time. He is still on a feeding tube because his throat is still so swollen and will need more time to heal. He can sit in a chair and as of today, can pull himself up in the bed unassisted. Grandma and Grammy stayed with him most of the day to give his parents a break. Grammy loved giving him ice chips all day and we were able to have so many talks and share laughter and tears. His voice is limited and tires easily but he has some deep, deep thoughts that he was so willing to share with us. He's given us pause for deep reflection and emotion for these grandparents. He has a new outlook on life and living and breathing and the future. The doctors continue to run tests and while we don't have results all back yet, we feel confident in that complete healing we've all prayed for. We will begin using our time and energy this week to prepare for Jackson's return home very soon. We have some adjustments to make in their home for Jackson to be able to get around temporarily with a wheelchair and walker. We also want to be very transparent to the fact that there are some mental adjustments to help him going forward in dealing with PTSD etc. Each time our bodies experiences trauma of any kind, PTSD is very common and very real. Jackson desires to be very transparent with that part of his recovery. He may need times of quiet and times of people around him. He is very appreciative of his village he didn't realize he had. As we spoke today of the many people all over the US that have prayed for him, the tears rolled down his sweet face and ours. God is working so hard in our young man's life and we could not be more excited about that part. Jackson realized he was spared for a purpose and he wants to seek that purpose in his life. I told him about the first night when they told us there was a large chance he would not make it. We all circled his bed in his ER room and I led a prayer asking God for a Miracle in his life and to spare him for our family. He smiled and cried and said Grandma, we got that! You bet we got it buddy!! You are alive and breathing on your own finally!! While I am sharing some of the great things, the needs are still huge. Jackson's recovery will be lengthy and there are many ways to help. The fund we set up for our kiddos is still open and going. We are so appreciative for each and every gift. So many people have given over and above through that fund and other avenues. We are so grateful for all of you. Prayers are absolutely the most important thing we can get right now. We firmly believe and have witnessed the power of prayer. Some of us will be coming back and forth between KC and Wichita to help with Jackson's care while trying to carry on with our lives where we are.
Our family has not been all together since Christmas 2019, today was supposed to be that day. Jackson asked us today when we were rescheduling our family get together. I said, through tears, we are waiting on Jackson to be able to be there and it will be a huge blowout, trust me. He smiled and with more tears, he said awesome, let's do that soon!! You bet buddy, you bet!!!! Thank you doesn't seem adequate to each of you who have prayed, contributed and prayed even more. Our family has been enormously blessed with all of your efforts. Most of all we are thankful to God for his unending love and mercy to us in this situation. We still have a long road of recovery to go, but we are so incredibly blessed at the improvements thus far. Please keep those prayers coming, we all need them to keep going. Much love from our family to yours!!

Jackson's Recovery

11/03/2021

07/21/2021

06/28/2021

06/14/2021

06/14/2021

06/02/2021

05/31/2021

05/30/2021

05/30/2021

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