Virus devastates them for the long haul

Note:  We regret to report that Don Koelsch died on Wednesday, December 9 due to complications of COVID-19 and his autoimmune disorder.  He had been moved to Barnes-Jewish hospital in preparation for a double lung transplant.  He tested positive for COVID-19 at the hospital.  Doctors at the hospital believed he was “shedding” the virus from his previous infection, and did not have an active case.  Unfortunately, doctors were not able to put him on the list to receive a donor lung transplant until he tested negative for the virus.
Sadly, the GoFundMe campaign has been updated to include funeral expenses and support for Don’s family, Sara and Amelia Koelsch, as well as medical expenses.  Please consider making a donation to the fund or, if you know them personally, you can make a direct donation through PayPal to sarakoelsch@gmail.com or Venmo to Sara_Koelsch. GoFundMe campaign for Koelsch family

Local family moved looking for a fresh start. Instead, they contracted COVID and he is waiting for lung transplant

WINFIELD, MO- Their move to Missouri in early June was supposed to be a new beginning, with new opportunities for Sara and Don Koelsch and their daughter Amelia.  But just six months after their move, Don Koelsch is in Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis awaiting a lung transplant, and the former West Dover residents are 1,100 miles away from their support network of family and friends.
Don Koelsch began working as an OTR truck driver, also known as a long-haul trucker, for Witte Brothers of Troy, MO, while the couple were still living in West Dover.  Koelsch loved the work, but it meant days, and sometimes weeks away from home.  The move to Missouri promised more time together with his family, a promotion to a supervisory position, and the prospect of climbing further up the ladder at Witte Brothers. 
In early September, Koelsch was driving his truck to Washington state when he started to feel ill and had trouble breathing.  “It was during the time there were a lot of wildfires out west,” says Sara Koelsch.  “He was having a hard time breathing, and we weren’t sure if it was just the smoke.”
During the trip back, Don Koelsch developed severe flu-like symptoms, and suffered from exhaustion.  “It took him a full week to get from Washington to Missouri,” Sara Koelsch recalls.  “Normally it takes two and a half days.  He had chills and fever and had to keep stopping.”
The day after he got home, Don Koelsch went to the local emergency room and, after some tests, was eventually diagnosed with viral pneumonia.  That was also where he took his first COVID-19 test, which came back negative.  When his condition continued to get worse, he was admitted to the hospital and given another test for COVID-19, which also came back negative.  A third test, using samples taken from his lungs during a bronchoscopy, tested positive for COVID-19. 
About a decade ago, Don Koelsch was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, and Sara Koelsch says her husband strictly followed COVID-19 protocols during the pandemic.  The company he works for and the places they deliver to also enforce strict COVID-19 protocols, she said. 
Amelia Koelsch later tested positive for COVID-19 and, although Sara Koelsch’s test came back “inconclusive,” she says her case was presumed positive.  For them, the coronavirus symptoms weren’t as severe.  “You could barely tell Amelia was sick,” Sara Koelsch says.  “I got winded and incredibly tired.  It shows you how different COVID-19 can be for people.”
Don Koelsch reacted well to the COVID-19 treatment he received at the hospital in St. Louis and was sent home in early October.  But after a few days, the symptoms returned and he was diagnosed with another case of pneumonia.  He was readmitted to the hospital in St. Louis, but the illness wasn’t responding to treatment.
Don Keolsch’s autoimmune disorder is called Jo-1 positive antisynthetase syndrome.  According to Sara Koelsch, the disease causes severe arthritis, and causes the immune system to attack tissues and organs in the body, resulting in muscle death, which can eventually lead to organ failure.  Several years ago, Don Koelsch nearly had kidney failure due to the disease. 
This time, doctors eventually surmised that the damage to Don Koelsch’s lungs from COVID-19 triggered his autoimmune disorder to attack his lungs, leading to his current diagnosis of polymyositis and interstitial lung disease - pulmonary fibrosis.
Even with the diagnosis and several rounds of treatments including infusions, steroids, and even an infusion similar to chemotherapy, doctors have not been able to bring the lung disease under control.  
Sara Koelsch says visitors to the hospital are strictly limited to one per day due to COVID-19, but the hospital bent the rules to allow Amelia to join them for dinner one night this week. It had been a month since their daughter had seen her father.  That’s when doctors gave the family their recommendation for a lung transplant.  
“They dropped it on us during dinner,” Sara Koelsch says.  “They said he’s a good candidate, he’s motivated, and besides his lungs, he’s healthy.”
Don Koelsch has been moved to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, which specializes in organ transplants, to await a donor.  Sara Koelsch said the prospect has been difficult to deal with in many ways.  “His only option for a healthy and fulfilling life is to get this double lung transplant is devastating to hear,” she says.  “The life expectancy for someone with a transplant is 25 years, that’s really devastating.  And we’re waiting for someone to die and give us the gift of life.  As horrible as that is, it’s a gift of life for us.”
And adding to the family’s stress, bills are beginning to pile up.  Sara Koelsch says she was just beginning to look for work before her husband fell ill.  Since then, her attention has been devoted to his health, and now she’s preparing to be his caregiver during his recovery.  Although Don Koelsch has health insurance, it comes with a high deductible and high out-of-pocket limits.  at the end of December, he’ll lose his short-term disability benefits and his insurance.  
Sara Koelsch says she will be contacting Witte Brothers trucking to see if there are any long-term disability benefits available, but, although the company has been sympathetic and kind, they haven’t volunteered any assistance. 
A friend of the family has started a GoFundMe campaign at https://gf.me/u/y9uybr to help with the expenses.  The campaign seeks to raise $5,000, but Sara Koelsch acknowledges the family will be facing a significantly higher financial hurdle.  
Anyone who would like to donate directly to the family can use PayPal (sarakoelsch@gmail.com) or Venmo (Sara_Koelsch). 
Sara and Don Koelsch both urge people to take COVID-19 protocols and precautions seriously.  In a post on the GoFundMe page, Don Koelsch says “If you want to help people like me stay healthy, wash your hands, sneeze and cough in your elbow, and stay home if you are sick.”
Sara Koelsch says people must wear a mask to protect others.  “I know it’s uncomfortable,” she says.  “But you’re not just looking out for yourself and your family members, you’re looking out for the people who can’t fight this.”