ALAMEDA, CA — For months, Dan Fontes’ health appeared to be rapidly declining.
The beloved Bay Area artist had been previously diagnosed with diabetes and congestive heart failure, but starting in the new year, he began to lose his appetite. Then, he stopped drinking liquids altogether.
A first visit to the emergency room failed to find the problem. Doctors sent him home, even as his health kept deteriorating.
A CT scan on the second visit to the emergency room earlier this month may have saved Fontes’ life. Through the scan, they were able to find that Fontes had an abscess in the lower left lobe of his lung, his longtime partner and primary caregiver, Julie Lucchesi, told Patch.
Fontes was hospitalized for 11 days. During this time, Luchessi started a GoFundMe to bring awareness to Fontes’ health issues.
Community members and close friends of Fontes and Lucchesi rallied around them, donating and sharing the fundraiser.
The GoFundMe has raised $10,050 of the $11,000 goal as of Monday afternoon.
“All of his circles have really rallied to support him generously,” Lucchesi said. “I’m overjoyed by all the support.”
Dan Fontes with his partner, Julie Lucchesi. (Photo courtesy of Dan Fontes and Julie Lucchesi)
Fontes is on a slow journey to recovery. Doctors, Lucchesi said, believe the abscess in Fontes’ lung was caused by either walking pneumonia or an infection caused by particles of food that came up from the esophagus and down into his trachea.
Because his esophagus has been spasming, signs are pointing towards the latter, Lucchsesi said.
“He keeps getting a little better each day,” Lucchesi said.
Fontes is a Bay Area native born in Oakland. He has countless art installations across the Bay Area, including a zebra project in Downtown Oakland, under the I-580 Freeway.
He’s also an avid pinball collector, Lucchesi said, and has served on the Board of Directors at the Pinball Museum in Alameda.
The GoFundMe to support Dan Fontes’ recovery can be found here.