Bring Kao Home Raffle | Salem, Oregon
Hey there, I’m going to get serious here for a minute & tell you a little back story before I get into the raffle details, okay, so just bear with me for a moment.
My husband & I have this friend, super cool guy, we’ve known him since middle school, he’s married to an amazing woman & they have two beautiful daughters together. A few months ago, they got COVID. All four of them. Yeah, you’re either thinking, “Meh, not a big deal, I had it too & I’m fine!” OR you’re thinking, “Omg, I hope they’re ok!” Well, the ladies of the house eventually got over it, but our friend did not. He is not okay, & he had to be in the ICU/hospital for 52 days, that’s almost 2 full months.
Kao Saephan, 33, with his two daughters
Here’s an excerpt from the GoFundMe page set up by his family:
“While managing the virus at home, Kao suddenly became very ill and was rushed to the hospital and admitted to the ICU where he was intubated and on a ventilator for nearly one month. Like many Covid-19 patients on a ventilator, he experienced the lowest of lows where doctors were not sure if he would return home to his wife and two young girls.”
You guys, I am on the verge of crying as I write this because I cannot even imagine what they are going through with all of this. In talking to Kao’s wife Liew, she told me that they weren’t sure if he was going to make it. When he was intubated & put on the ventilator (which is a form of life support) he was fully sedated (think medically induced coma) & paralyzed. Liew said it was extremely hard to see him that way. Can YOU imagine?! Oh, my heart.
He did make it- but he has a looonnnggg journey ahead of him still because he has lost all of his motor skills. He has to re-learn how to walk, talk, eat, get dressed, tie his shoes, hug his baby girls & his wife, all of the things we do every single day without thinking about them.
He has been transferred to a long-term care facility where he will undergo rehab to learn how to do all of these things again. He currently has a trach (still a form of a ventilator, just less invasive) to continue to assist with his breathing because he can’t do that on his own either.
Since the beginning of all of this, Liew has not been to work & has been taking care of her girls by herself. When they’re at school she’s right by Kao’s side, until she has to pick them up, do dinner & baths, & start the whole process over again the next day. All the while, not knowing what the day is going to look like for her husband or her girls. She is one tough woman, & sometimes those women need a helping hand, even if they don’t want to ask for it!
I did ask Liew if it would be alright with her to put on a raffle in Kao’s name & she said it’s up to me, so here we are! The future for them right now is so unpredictable, the least we can all do it help out where we can, right? Right.
SO, there are 2 (TWO) FULL sessions up for grabs. This is all going to be digital, so you can just text me, let me know how many “tickets” you want, pay for them, & when it’s over, I will have one of my kids draw a name out of a hat (yes a literal hat) & text/email the winner! Super easy! Once it’s all done, their family gets 100% of the proceeds & YOU get a free session with me!
ENDS DECEMBER 15th, 2021
Any proceeds from the Raffle, GoFundMe, or direct donations to Liew will go towards:
-Additional medical bills not covered by insurance
-Transportation &/or accommodations for his family to be able to visit him in Portland, Oregon
-Any home renovations needed to accommodate Kao when he is able to return home & reunite with his family
If you want to donate but don’t want to do the raffle, that’s cool too!
You can check out the GoFundMe page,
Or donate directly to Liew’s Venmo: @LuLu_Saephan
*just a note: gofundme takes a percentage of the money that’s raised & that’s not cool
The goal is to raise $5,000, but we don’t have to stop there! No one knows how much any of this is going to end up costing. No one knows how long Kao will be in the rehabilitation center & away from his family. There’s just so much they don’t know right now.
I hope you are all able to find it in your hearts to help in some way, this was so unexpected & I don’t know that anyone could have been prepared for something like this. Their family also need our thoughts & prayers & positive energy.
Share, Share, Share! Let’s get the word out there! Share on social media, email, text, whatever!
Let’s do everything we can to Bring Kao Home!
-Jennifer
Jefferson & Salem, Oregon Photographer
