Friends come together to help young stroke victim

Nov. 30--FARMINGTON -- A young man is struggling to return to a normal life after a devastating stroke, and friends are coming together to help him and his family.

Ramon Ramirez, better known as Alex, was working as a rig welder for Halo Services in Bloomfield on Sept. 18 when he began to feel ill at a company meeting, according to family friends. An ambulance took him to San Juan Regional Medical Center, and the 27-year-old was diagnosed with a migraine and vertigo and sent home to rest.

After returning to work Sept. 20, Ramirez again began to feel sick and was later found in his truck in pain and vomiting. Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango, Colo., was closer, and Ramirez was transported there by ambulance. Doctors there determined he had suffered a stroke.

Ramirez was subsequently taken to Littleton Adventist Hospital in the suburbs of Denver, Colo. Hospital staff confirmed he has been a patient there since that time.

Because of swelling and bleeding in his brain, Ramirez underwent several surgeries and had an additional complication of a spinal fluid infection that spread to his blood. He recovered from the infection and has been in an in-patient rehabilitation program in Littleton for the past month. He may be able to return home to Farmington later this week, family friends said.

Although he survived his ordeal, Ramirez will need extensive physical, speech and occupational therapy to return to any semblance of a normal life.

Bernadette Romero is a friend of the Ramirez family. She said her son and Ramirez enjoyed riding their Harley-Davidson motorcycles together before Ramirez's stroke.

Now, Romero is reaching out to the community to raise funds to defray Ramirez's medical expenses. She is working with Ramirez's boss, Steve Nuniz, co-workers and friends to organize a charity bike run. She is also planning to get a bank account set up for donations.

"The family's been through a lot," Romero said. "Alex is such a friendly, generous and outgoing guy, and is so full of life."

Alex Ramirez's sister, Karina Ramirez, said that she and her parents, Carolina and Ramon Ramirez, and her older brother, Erick, have been living in Littleton during Alex's hospitalization.

A nurse donated living space for them to use during the time, and the family has received other financial help from friends and family. In a phone interview from Littleton, Karina Ramirez said doctors told her the progress her brother has made is remarkable.

"It's a miracle because Alex was basically almost a vegetable and was even having to have a (tracheostomy tube) to breathe," she said. "He's walking now but has arm and leg tremors. He's got such a positive attitude and is such a hard worker. He's doing so much better."

The family has been told Alex Ramirez can return to a normal life, but it will take hard work, his sister said.

Karina Ramirez said her brother did not have health insurance, and the family is bracing to see what the medical expenses will total.

"I can't imagine what the bill will be, and we don't know how long it will be before he can return to work," she said.

She also hopes it won't be long before her brother can do the thing he loves most: ride his Harley.

"He has a video on YouTube (of him riding his bike), and he always wants to watch his video," she said. "He has such a passion for life, and he's such a fighter. Seeing him get better has brought such hope and joy back into my parents' lives."

Leigh Black Irvin covers health for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4610 and [email protected] Follow her @irvindailytimes on Twitter.

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