Hospital bills

isfortune is virtue’s opportunity ~ Seneca




**UPDATE to original campaign from November**




Three heart attacks in 15 days... one on the 18th of November, and two on Friday the 4th after his stress test.







November 18th, 2020 FARO del Mayab Hospital

“Kevin, you aren’t going anywhere except for surgery in the next 30 mins, you’ve had a heart attack and we need to proceed with an operation immediately.”







These are gut-wrenching words that no one ever wants to hear. However, these were the exact words that our dear friend Kevin Ramirez heard before being wheeled away to an emergency coronary angioplasty surgery. Even in this moment of distress, all he could think about was his wife and two little girls. He pleaded for just a few moments with them just to reassure them that he would be right back and that he would never leave them - not even knowing if he would be able to fulfill that promise, but he wanted to put their minds at ease nonetheless.




This is Kevin. Husband. Father. Foundation.

To know him is to know that he is a giant with the heart of a child. He has the loudest laugh, genuinely playing as a kid with his two daughters and his doggy Roza. He is the life of the party, with a heart that melts for children and animals, and especially those in need. He is an adventurer ready for whatever!




Training, adventure and an active lifestyle has been a big part of Kevin’s life and what has inspired his wife and two daughters Isabella and Freya to be active and healthy too. He spent his childhood running through the Ecuadorian jungle with his sister living a national geographic documentary. He has always lived an active and adventurous lifestyle.




Even on the harrowing day of his first heart attack, he, his wife and girls were out exploring a new boxing gym that he wanted the family to get active in. It was on the way home from the gym that symptoms began presenting themselves enough for Kevin to insist on being taken to a hospital; which, luckily enough, was only 3 minutes away.




Thankfully, Kevin made it through the first operation; and he was following up with cardiac rehab doctor a week after. 


Friday 4th, 2020

First day Cardiac rehab center 




“Marianne, It is Kevin. Listen I am going to CMA hospital. There is a bit of a problem with the stent. I am waiting for the ambulance and soon on my way. Don’t panic, everything is going to be okay as far as I know. I love you very much and I love the girls with all my heart”




That was the longest 27 seconds voice message Marianne has ever heard. Her heart sunk and couldn’t feel her legs. She looked around quickly to locate her girls in the park, where they were meeting with the homeschooling group, where Kevin was suppose to meet after his stress test and first cardiac rehab session. 

Her knees still felt like they were going to buckle, she took a deep breath and ran to ask her friend Adriana to take care of the girls while she grabbed a ride to the hospital with another friend.




Meanwhile Kevin recalls his vision starting to close in and feeling like he was going to face plant into the floor moments after telling the nurse he was experiencing heart attack symptoms just 15 mins post stress test. He hardly remembers leaving his message to Marianne but recalls talking to his heart telling it to slow down, to not fight the blockage and conserve energy - the ambulance was on the way.




To Marianne it seemed the car would never arrive fast enough, and after what seemed like forever she reached the hospital. A nurse pointed Marianne to the building where Kevin could be at. As she entered the building, the cardiologist came out from a room and approached her with sad and worried face. Reading his body language, she thought she had lost Kevin and felt the room is closing in on her. She reached for the nearest chair and as she is sitting down, asked the Dr. “Is he breathing?” 

The cardiologist said, “he had a second heart attack, 100% blockage at the stent. He is in so much pain and it looks really bad, and we are preparing him for operation. We’ll do our best but we can’t promise anything.” 

He then left to organize the second angioplasty and what would turn out to be the first of two angioplasties done on Kevin that day. 

Marianne sat down trying to process what the Doctor had just told her, praying for him to live. 

Just half an hour later she burst out crying when the doctor came out to say the operation was a success & he would live.




Over the next few minutes they moved Kevin to the ICU for observation. He was pale and looked very tired. A few minutes after moving him to the ICU, Marianne was waiting outside the room for the Dr. permission to talk to Kevin. But Kevin started to feel pain in his chest again. Kevin was explaining to the doctor that the pain was increasing and the symptoms were the same as heart attack earlier. He was asking how the pain could be increasing after being given a double dose of morphine? At this point, his cardiologist rushed from the room to call his colleagues back to the hospital, the head cardiac surgeon, anesthesiologist, surgical team, and suppliers for more stents, balloons, and other tools. Meanwhile the nursing staff hustled Kevin back to the operating room. 




Kevin was having a second heart attack just 30 mins after the first that day... his third in 15 days!




Kevin recalls entering the operating theater for the second time that day trying in between waves of pain to joke with the surgeon and anestesiolgists... "Hey don't I know you guys from somewhere? And, "What's the limit on heart attacks per day?" Meanwhile advocating that the surgeon go back in vía the radial artery because they were discussing a potential femoral entry and all Kevin could think about was his Dad's recovery from the femoral entry.




Lucky for all of us the third operation was a success and quickly completed. They placed yet another stent and pumped him full of powerful anticoagulants to ensure no more killer clots would form again. 

The cardiac surgeon said to Marianne, “It was very complicated and he is lucky. The mortality rate with what he has just experienced is 50-70%”. 




Finally moved him to the ICU room again, this time he looked and felt better. He stayed a night there with 24 hours nurse in the room to observe him, and moved him to a regular room next day. The Dr. changed the anticoagulant medicine, assuming that the previous anticoagulant medicine wasn't working. A total of three days again in the hospital and now complete rest while the doctors plan the recovery again from zero. 



It has been mentally very hard on Kevin, a life time fitness and nutrition lover. He knows that the only reason he is likely alive is because of the shape he was in but its weighing heavily on him. He wants to recover, to return to work, and to be an inspiration most importantly for his daughters by being healthy, vital and strong. Some days are harder than others, when you are used to being strong for yourself and others it can be very challenging mentally to find yourself weak and needing support. He and all of us are so grateful for the outpouring of love, support, the calls, the messages and all the well wishes. I often find him crying over a voice message or text.... you have all touched him and his family so much.




Unfortunately, Kevin has had no income since COVID started in February of 2020, like many people around the globe who have also lost their jobs. That had nearly drained the family savings,  so when the first heart attack came it emptied what remained of their accounts with bills exceeding $20,000 CAD. 




Now, with the new hospital bill, another $255,000 Mexican pesos or $17,000 CAD is due.




It is a scary time emptying your savings and worse when you sign promisory notes before they even allow you to leave the hospital. Bills due by the end of the month.  Adding to the families is what happens next? What if this happened again? The answer is open heart surgery, which means the family needs to go back to Canada because the bill here would be millions of pesos.




So we, Jamie and Jeremy,  are reaching out to let you know that we are launching another campaign to help our friend, Kevin and his family, and we need your help!


Your impact

Any contribution you make will help with covering the new medical expenses needed to get him back on his feet to go back to work. 

Many of  you have already given so much and we ask that you share the page with all your social media contacts. If thousands people each donate $35 we can hit this target!




We need $ 56,300 CAD total, as following: 




$20,000 CAD to pay the first surgery related expenses (most of this has been raised - THANK YOU) 
$17,000 CAD to pay the new surgery related expenses.
$1300 CAD for cardiac rehabilitation 
$4000 CAD for airline tickets to go back to Kelowna, Canada. 
$17,000 CAD for moving back expenses. 



The Ramirez family and all of us will be grateful for any support whatsoever.




The family has been so grateful and overwhelmed by the help with the girls, the phone calls, the wishes, the support. So shout out to every one of you, you guys rock!




Please, give whatever you can—and please share links to this page on your social media. The wider we can spread this news, the more support we can extend to the Ramirez family. Thank you all!