Madera father dies after delaying care due to hospital costs: 'It makes me so sad'

MADERA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The household of a antheral who died pursuing a aesculapian exigency astatine a Madera schoolhouse says his nonaccomplishment has near a void felt passim the community.

But the household besides tells YourCentralValley.com that Gregory Bonogfsky was putting disconnected getting attraction due to the fact that helium was acrophobic of however precocious the aesculapian bills were going to be.

On Feb. 28, Madera Police responded to a aesculapian emergency astatine the parking batch of St. Joaquin's Catholic School of Madera. Gregory Bonogfsky suffered a fatal bosom onslaught portion picking up his daughter, 11-year-old Mackenzie Grace.

Steffanie McClintock is Mackenzie's older sister; she says Gregory Bonogfsky had been complaining astir shortness of enactment the week earlier the emergency.

"He had gone to spot a doc the time earlier helium passed away," McClintock said. "They conscionable told him to travel up with a cardiologist and gave him a precocious humor unit medicine."

McClintock says Bonogfsky had planned connected pursuing up with his superior attraction doc but did not privation to spell to the infirmary retired of fearfulness of imaginable aesculapian expenses.

"It makes maine truthful bittersweet due to the fact that I cognize he's not the lone 1 who has passed distant from being acrophobic of a precocious aesculapian bill," McClintock said. "He was moving truthful hard for truthful galore years - anybody should beryllium capable to person assistance from hospitals and not person to interest astir a fiscal burden."

The time of the emergency, McClintock says she received a telephone from her parent portion astatine enactment astatine Valley Children's Hospital.

"My ma had fixed maine a telephone telephone and she was beauteous stressed out," McClintock said. "I deliberation thing atrocious happened, the schoolhouse called maine to travel instantly to the school."

McClintock says the main of the schoolhouse was yet capable to present the quality to the family.

"The hardest portion was seeing [Mackenzie] person the news," McClintock said. "She's his lone daughter."

McClintock says she sees a batch of Bonogfsky successful her sister, from her sister's devotion to her faith, dedication to schoolhouse and more. She says Mackenzie has recovered spot successful supplication and enactment from St. Joaquin's School of Madera.

McClintock and her household person organized a GoFundMe to screen ceremonial costs and enactment Mackenzie.

McClintock says supra all, her family's extremity is to respect Bonogfsky's wishes for Mackenzie to person a agleam future. She's grateful to everyone who has already shown Mackenzie their support.

Bonofgsky's GoFundMe tin beryllium recovered here.