Dads big heart awaiting replacement

Imagine being a 44 year old father of 2 who’s only option for living is to get an artificial heart – this is Dave’s reality.
How could this happen?  HCM. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic heart condition that is found in over 1 in 500 people worldwide.   There is no cure for HCM and approximately 5% of those with HCM will require a heart transplant.   Dave Johnson is a long time member of the HCMA, the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association and we have assisted him on his quest for wellness.  His story is a complex maze of care that has up routed his family on more than one occasion simply seeking a home and a place to find quality care - which they can afford.  Dave and his family lived in Little Rock Arkansas, moved to New Hampshire then to Lebanon Pennsylvania, where they live now awaiting the next step in this medical journey.  For some with HCM, surgery or implantable cardioverter defibrillators along with cardiac medications are simply not enough.  The heart gets too stiff and it simply will not function normally this leads to complete heart failure.   Dave is more than a husband and father of 2 children, he is a talented musician.   Imagine being a musician who loves to sing, only to find you simply do not have the breath to sing or the energy to play you instrument.  This is his only hope to regain his life, to see his children grow, to sing to his wife again and to survive is this procedure.   It is a bold and frightening step, but a needed one.

On (or about) August 14, he will undergo a rare procedure; he will be receiving a full artificial heart as a bridge to a heart transplant.   Dave has waited for years for a heart to become available as he waited his other organs began to fail and it was then that doctors offered him an option... a full artificial heart.   His care team at Hershey Medical are the leading implanters of such technology and he is in great hands with his team.   However, as you can imagine this has been an expensive road and will continue to be over the next months.   He will likely be in the hospital for 3-5 months healing and waiting for a new heart.   During this time his wife and children will travel to see him and have to get on with "living a normal life" while he waits.    This family has been faced with staggering healthcare bills and expenses - they are a working class family and have depleted all of their savings to save Dave’s life.   

All donations are tax deductable and will support Dave, his family and others with HCM.

The HCMA wants to help Dave, his family and others facing the complex diagnosis and management of HCM.   This is the first HCMA "GOFUNDME" campaign to help an individual family; it will not however be the last.  The HCMA will receive 3% of donations made to Dave to defer the administrative costs of managing the campaign.    

To learn more about HCM visit 4hcm.org