He had been airlifted to the Philadelphia institution after spending 13 days in a South Jersey hospital, according to the GoFundMe account. During his eight weeks at Penn Presbyterian, Heise underwent "many procedures and experienced a lot of setbacks preventing his recovery," the appeal noted. His treatment included the use of an ECMO machine, an advanced measure to treat COVID-19 patients. An ECMO machine takes over the functions of a hearts and lungs to promote a patient's rest and recovery, according to Penn Presbyterian. Despite the setbacks, the GoFundMe appeal maintained an optimistic view for Heise's recovery. "Jim is young, strong, and a fighter and because of this, we remain positive and hopeful that Jim will overcome his strenuous battle," it said.