When the pandemic hit, 41-year-old Eric Gutierrez took all the appropriate precautions to avoid the virus. He wore his mask, avoided crowds and washed his hands frequently. A year into the pandemic he wasn’t feeling well so he went and got tested and it came back negative. Then a few days later, he became unresponsive on the couch. His girlfriend immediately called an ambulance. It turns out, the previous test results were in fact false negatives. His worst nightmare was happening. Eric was facing a major health crisis. To make things worse, during his treatment doctors overfed him and he ended up aspirating and getting a second infection in his lungs. 3 weeks later he woke up and realized he was coming off a ventilator. Eric spent nearly 2 months in the hospital on and off a ventilator but managed to fight off both viruses.
Now comes the road to recovery…estimated at 8 months 3 times a week he must re-learn certain motor skills due to being under for so long. During his stay in the hospital, Eric’s bills were piling up. Mankind was able to step-in and relieve some of the stress to pay some of these bills so he could focus on getting back to his normal healthy self.
Viruses and illnesses do not discriminate. They affect the young, old, healthy, and unhealthy. Things don’t always go your way and sometimes you hit a health speed bump in your life. Mankind’s mission is to save lives by encouraging men to receive yearly exams, increasing education and awareness, and providing financial assistance to those facing a health crisis. If you know a man in need please have them fill out an application to apply for assistance from Mankind.