“Within 24 hours, he went from having fun at the wedding to being on a ventilator,” Andrew Wasil's mother, Suzanne Wasil, told WHDH.
Credit: GoFundMe
NEED TO KNOW
- Andrew Wasil was attending his brother’s February wedding in Mumbai when he fell critically ill
- Andrew came down with a dangerous strep infection, leading to septic shock and the need for life-saving amputations above both knees
- A GoFundMe campaign raised funds for his medical air ambulance to transport him back to the U.S. by April 19
A Massachusetts man was placed on a ventilator shortly after attending his brother's wedding in India.
Andrew Wasil, 39, traveled to Mumbai in February to serve as best man and celebrate his brother Steve's wedding. But the day after the festivities, Andrew felt like he had pulled a muscle, and experienced trouble breathing, WHDH reported.
“Within 24 hours he went from having fun at the wedding to being on a ventilator,” his mother, Suzanne Wasil, told the outlet. “The following morning when he woke up, it was clear that he needed more than just a muscle relaxant so he went to the ER and in the ER they said, ‘Oh gosh, he's not getting much oxygen, his pulse is very low, his hearts not pumping well. We need to put him on a ventilator.' ”
He was hospitalized with a dangerous strep infection, leading to septic shock, according to a GoFundMe page created by his sister, Erica Vinton, to raise funds for an air ambulance.
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Andrew's condition worsened, and several organs "couldn't recover from the lack of oxygen,” Suzanne said. "The strep virus went into his lungs and when they did a blood test, he also had traces of the common cold and the flu.”
Ultimately, Andrew required surgery to amputate both of his legs above the knee.
Now, months later, he is medically stable but has not regained full consciousness, according to Erica. "He has been showing encouraging signs and is fighting hard."
However, Andrew urgently needs to return to Boston to continue receiving his necessary medical care. The GoFundMe confirmed on April 15 that his medical air ambulance transport was scheduled. Two days later, on April 17, his mother told WHDH that he was set to return on April 19.
Ahead of his return, Erica and Suzanne thanked the people who donated. “That just touches our family. We have no words except thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Suzanne said. “He's loyal and kind and generous, and his nieces and nephew love him to pieces, saying, ‘Uncle Andy, Uncle Andy!' They can't wait to see Uncle Andy.”
Meanwhile, Erica wrote in the April 15 update, "From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all your compassionate love and support."
PEOPLE reached out to the Wasil family for comment.
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