A beloved member of our Merlin family is in need of prayers and support as he prepares for kidney transplant surgery within the next couple of weeks. Oscar Nuno, one of Merlin’s well-known and accomplished Superintendents, is currently going through final blood tests for a kidney transplant that will save his life. We are asking for prayers and support for Oscar and his family at this difficult time.
Oscar moved to the United States in his early twenties, from Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico, where his family was in the construction industry. In 2001, he joined the Merlin team and over the next 20 years built a career and a family in Southern Nevada, achieving, by all accounts, the American Dream.
Oscar is an invaluable employee and an integral part of the Merlin Custom Home Builders team. From the beginning, and despite the fact that he spoke very little English, he immediately proved to be a quick learner and good with his hands. He learned the business from the ground up, spending his first few years working with Wally Brehm, a master superintendent with vast experience in high-rise work, on dozens of Merlin builds and remodels at Park Towers High-Rise Condominiums. Oscar’s dedication never wavered as he soaked in knowledge of how to create the custom spaces clients wanted in a high-rise setting.
In subsequent years, Oscar worked throughout the Valley on Merlin’s ground-up estate homes. He worked closely with Superintendent Mike Robinson who shared his knowledge, technique and eye for detail with Oscar. Under Mike’s direction, Oscar was the “trade hands” that created the Merlin Magic on some of the finest custom homes in Southern Nevada.
As his construction skills progressed and he became more proficient in English, Oscar’s warm and engaging personality blossomed. His easy manner combined with his growing building skills and an unwavering commitment to quality helped Oscar move up the chain, progressing from general laborer, to skilled laborer, carpenter, assistant superintendent, and to his current role as a full-time superintendent. In this role, he is the face of our company for many clients, and is responsible for quality control on multi-million dollar projects. His success as superintendent is a direct result of his keen eye (which can spot minute construction flaws from across the room) combined with a quiet confidence that enables him to expose those flaws in a non-threatening, cooperative manner.
As he was building his career, Oscar was also building his family. He and his wife, Eva, are the proud parents of Oscar and Estefany and grandparents of Austin, who was born late last year.
Oscar’s American Dream was interrupted several years ago when he was diagnosed with kidney disease. Now in end-stage renal failure, he is in dire need of a kidney transplant. He has been on the waiting list for a kidney in Nevada, Arizona and California for more than 2 years, and has no idea how much longer the wait may be. According to the National Kidney Foundation, 100,000+ people are awaiting a life-saving kidney transplant in the United States. The average wait time for a kidney is 3-5 years, and each year, thousands of people die awaiting a transplant.
As Oscar continues to wait for a kidney, his health continues to decline. He is experiencing severe high blood pressure and heart issues, and has had frequent hospitalizations. His food intake is limited and he has lost a lot of weight. He retains water which needs to be removed frequently. But the biggest difference in Oscar can be seen in his eyes – we can see that brightness that we have come accustomed to dimming as time goes on.
Fearing that a donor will not become available in the United States in time to save his life, Oscar recently made the decision to seek a transplant in Mexico, which is known to have significantly lower wait times to identify kidney donors. Oscar and Eva flew to Mexico earlier this month. They were able to find a donor there that was a confirmed match. Oscar is currently undergoing pre-surgery testing in preparation for a kidney transplant by mid-March.
With that great news comes the realization that Oscar’s health insurance is not valid in Mexico, so he and his family will be responsible for the entire cost of the surgery along with the added expenses of travel, food, lodging, aftercare and medication. We are asking for donations to help Oscar and his family offset the costs of this life saving surgery so that he can concentrate on healing and returning to his life as a husband, father, grandfather, friend and co-worker.
Your support is sincerely appreciated. Visit Oscar’s GoFundMe.
We hope you will join with the Merlin team as we send our love, prayers and support to our friend and co-worker, Oscar. We extend our heartfelt wishes for a full recovery and return to the life he has built with his family here in Las Vegas. Best wishes, Oscar!