Kay Aquino said she cried every day for a month, maybe longer, sometimes multiple times a day.
She and her husband Jon were facing a life or death crisis over the summer, and, even if he survived, life would likely never be the same.
Jon, 37, a COVID-19 hospital ward nurse in Gloucester County, had contracted a rare case of strep meningitis during a Jersey Shore vacation. By the time the disease could be treated, his hands and feet had turned multiple colors from sepsis and his best chance for survival was to amputate them. Sepsis is a condition that occurs when the body’s response to infection damages its own tissues, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“The doctors were surprised about our approach,” said Kay, 34, who is also a nurse. “We were very proactive about him getting the amputations, because we knew there was nothing that could be done. So when you know nothing can be done, you have to move forward. You can’t move forward until you get rid of dead stuff.”
Nearly four months later, Jon is still recovering in a rehabilitation hospital in Philadelphia. He spent seven weeks at Cooper University Hospital in Camden before that. Once an avid runner, Kay said her husband has vowed to eventually run again, and return to work after being fitted with prosthetics. He is also considering being matched for a hand transplant from a cadaver.
His spirit and their shared profession of nursing continues to help them navigate an uncertain future.
Jon’s fellow nurses at Jefferson Stratford Hospital have started a Go Fund Me campaign to raise $1 million for surgeries that may not be covered by his health insurance, including the hand transplant.