GoFundMe Fundraiser Set Up For Man From Hopatcong Struck By Diabetes

HOPATCONG, NJ — Sean Garland recently became disoriented, suddenly unable to get air or even stand up.

After he was rushed to Newton Medical Center, Garland, 24, was found to have ketoacidosis, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser set up by his uncle Jim Gagnon and his sister, Paige Garland.

As of Monday, the fundraiser has reached over $14,000 of its $50,000 goal.

Ketoacidosis, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a dangerous and serious issue that can develop for Type 1 or insulin-dependent diabetics, when their body doesn’t have adequate insulin to keep their blood sugar in check.

Newton Medical Center’s emergency room found Sean Garland’s blood sugar to be “dangerously high." He was ventilated and then sedated due to his disorientation and pulling out his ventilator hoses and IV, his uncle and sister reported.

He was in Newton’s intensive care unit for about a week to get his blood sugar under control, Garland’s father Brian attempting to speak calming words to him as he was there.

“Although Sean was not conscious, the nurses reassured us he could hear us talking to him,” the family reported.

Sean Garland’s illness is another difficulty the family has suffered, Gagnon said. He is a quadruplet with two other brothers and his sister, who lost their mother Donna to a battle with inoperable brain tumors when the children were only 11.

“The love and support Sean and his three siblings received after the passing of their mom in 2008 after a long battle with cancer was immeasurable,” Gagnon wrote. “The outpouring from the community meant the world to the family then and it will mean the world to them once again.”

Gagnon described Garland’s next steps in healing as grueling, with both his heart and kidneys having taken “a large toll during this ordeal and are still in a very weakened state.”

Dialysis treatments have helped and he’s on the road to recovery, which will entail “an extended stay at a rehabilitation center as he works on gathering his strength both physically and mentally to face the challenges ahead,” the fundraiser description also indicated.

The GoFundMe fundraiser will be earmarked toward Garland’s medical bills from his extended ICU stay, as well as future costs of insulin and diabetic supplies.

Click here for the GoFundMe Fundraiser for Sean Garland.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.