Darius has been in the hospital for over a week now, and it looks like he’ll likely be there at least another week as he continues recovering from complications after what was supposed to be a simple surgery. He had a routine hernia repair on March 31 and was doing really well, almost back to normal. Then on April 11, he suddenly started having severe abdominal pain. Shelly took him to the ER, and after checking for infection, they sent him home with meds, thinking the inflammation in his intestines would clear up on its own. Unfortunately, it didn’t. By Sunday evening, things got worse. He started vomiting and ended up back in the ER, where he was admitted and put on IV fluids with complete digestive rest. After several days with no improvement, a surgeon stepped in on Thursday with a different concern. During exploratory surgery, they found that Darius’s body had formed excessive scar tissue that had attached to both his intestines and the mesh from his hernia repair. This caused his intestines to twist and become inflamed. The surgeon removed the scar tissue, untangled everything, and added a barrier to help prevent it from happening again. Even with that, recovery has been incredibly slow and really tough. Darius is still dealing with severe bloating, pressure, and inflammation, his intestines have been measuring up to 2 inches wide. He hasn’t been able to eat for well over a week and has now started IV nutrition (TPN) just to keep his body going. Tomorrow they will be doing some additional testing to see if they can get a better understanding of why he is continuing to not improve. Once the swelling goes down, he’ll still need several more days to slowly work back to eating and ween from meds. Because of all of this, Darius has been out of work since March 31 and likely won’t be able to return until at least the middle of May. He doesn’t have disability or paid time off, so this means over a month with no income. Darius has been the primary provider for his family, especially while Shelly recently opened a new small business that’s still getting on its feet. Their savings have already gone toward the surgery and launching the business. On top of that, Shelly has been spending long days at the hospital with Darius while still doing everything she can to keep the business running. Even everyday expenses, like meals, especially with strict gluten-free needs due to celiac, have added up quickly. Right now, they’re facing a lot, medical-related costs, regular bills, and the stress of lost income. If you’re able to help in any way, whether that’s donating, sharing this, or just keeping them in your thoughts and prayers, it truly means so much. Every bit of support helps them stay afloat and focus on what matters most right now: Darius healing. Thank you so much for your kindness, support, and generosity.