‘Wishing for a deep breath.’ Fundraisers launched for Tri-Citians in ICU with COVID

A young Richland mother has been placed on a ventilator in a medically induced coma after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

A 49-year-old Kennewick man expects to spend weeks in the hospital getting his COVID-damaged lungs to work again. “If I would’ve known a shot would’ve kept the severity of it all at arms length, I would’ve got the vaccine,” he posted recently as he chronicled his struggle on Facebook.

Family and friends of both are raising money to help with their expenses and posting about the harrowing ordeals on social media.

Natalie Hoefer

Sister-in-law Kori Evans is raising money for young mom Natalie Hoefer after she was admitted to an intensive care unit last week after a COVID-19 diagnosis.

She was placed on a ventilator and is in a medically induced coma, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser.

Her husband, Josh, is unable to work because he also tested positive for COVID-19 and is taking care of their son Owen, 2, who also is infected with the coronavirus.

Hoefer’s Facebook page is filled with messages of love for her husband and pictures of her grinning son — walking on the beach held up by both parent’s hands, playing in the snow and getting his first haircut.

“With hospital bills already piling up, on top of both Natalie and Josh being out of work, they could really use any generosity,” said the GoFundMe post.

Hoefer is a manager at a fast food restaurant, according to her Facebook page.

As of Sunday, nearly $7,700 had been raised to help with the family’s expenses.

Richard Linderman

Linderman of Kennewick has been chronicling his case of COVID-19 from his hospital bed since Aug. 5 on his Facebook page.

He started by admitting he was not a fan of wearing masks.

“I’ve changed my tune a little,” he posted then. “I’ve experienced every symptom that this illness has to offer from pneumonia within the first 4 days to fever, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and lately the extreme headache which the doctor’s in the COVID units call the COVID Headache which had me screaming out in pain and crying uncontrollably due to that pain.”

Now he urges others to not only to wear masks, but to get vaccinated.

At least 12 family members also tested positive for COVID-19 with more showing symptoms.

His pregnant daughter in Montana was among those infected and being treated in an intensive care unit. She delivered her baby a month and a half early.

He’s tough.

He spent years away from his family as an addict and criminal, but has been out of prison since early 2020.

Since then he’s turned his life around and started the local group Incarceration to Inspiration, encouraging ex-cons to live a good life and help others with events like food drives.

But COVID has been rough and his fight against it may be a long one.

His posts to Facebook show a frustrating pattern of improvements followed by setbacks.

Aug. 5 he was feeling better, he posted on his Facebook page, but the next day he posted that he was “wishing for a deep breath” and feeling as if he was “suffocating.”

By Aug. 7 Linderman was posting that he was doing worse and doctors were telling him chances were good that he would not survive.

“I really hope this is an eye opener for the skeptics out there that a shot could’ve reduced the chances of this happening to me. Get the shot a don’t run the risk of this happening to you or your loved ones,” he posted Aug. 8, his 10th day with symptoms.

His friend, Joel Watson, owner of Just Joel’s in Kennewick, said seeing Linderman so sick was an eye-opener that convinced him to finally get the vaccine.

Linderman was expected to be put on a ventilator the day he put out a plea for people to get vaccinated. But instead he found some relief with a different type of oxygen mask.

His short-term goal now is to improve enough to be moved out of the intensive care unit of Kadlec Regional Medical Center to a unit at the hospital for less severe cases, he posted late last week.

Long term he wants to recover his health enough for a road trip to Montana to hold his new granddaughter.

“I’m told this is the beginning of weeks in the hospital as we strive to get my lungs to work on their own,” he posted. “Even afterwards I’ll be on oxygen outside the hospital which of course will affect my job so the appreciation I have for the financial assistance is overwhelming.”

A GoFundMe account had raised almost $3,400 as of Sunday to help with living expenses and COVID medical bills for him and his family.

“Anyone who is blessed to know Richard knows he is the most selfless, generous and giving person,” posted Dawn Owens, an organizer of the fundraiser. “He does a lot for the community and would never ask for anything in return. Let’s help lift some of the burden so that he and his family can focus on healing and getting back to their lives.”

This story was originally published August 15, 2021 at 12:48 PM.