NH firefighter is fighting back after a ‘frightening health scare’
An Exeter, New Hampshire firefighter is fighting his way back to active duty - and his family - after a health scare that landed him in a hospital ICU.
It all started about two weeks ago when Dylan Raymond went to the hospital to have a “lingering cough” checked out, according to a post from the Exeter Fire Department.
Things soon got worse. Raymond’s lungs collapsed and end he ended up on a ventilator.
Raymond is married with two young children and the sudden health scare has the firefighting community rallying around him.
“The experience has been life and even career changing for the 28-year-old firefighter who was in the midst of schooling to receive his paramedic certification when he was sidelined and now likely faces uncertain financial difficulties as he tries to get back on his feet,” according to post from the Exeter Fire Department.
“It’s definitely given me a better sense of empathy toward the patients that we have and a better understanding of what they’re going through with any related difficulties and what to expect for them when they go to the hospital for something similar,” said Raymond in the post to the department’s Facebook page.
“For 36 hours I was sedated and tubed. I woke up and then I started to get better, but my lungs were still leaking,” Raymond said who is also a call firefighter for the Gilmanton Fire Department.
Doctors have since determined that Raymond experienced adult-onset asthma, according to the fire department. He underwent surgery earlier in the week.
“Assuming everything goes well with that and nothing gets worse, I should be out by Friday,” said Raymond
“We want Dylan to know that the town of Exeter and all of us here at the Exeter Fire Department are behind him and we’re here to support him every step of the way as he recovers,” said Exeter Assistant Fire Chief Justin Pizon. ”We’re happy to know that he’s on the mend and will hopefully be back home with his family very soon,” he said.
An online fundraising campaign has been established to assist Dylan and his family through GoFundMe. Donations can be made here:
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