Eugene's Heart Needs Help
Donation protected
My name is Eugene Salas, and my heart is failing because my lungs are filled with multiple sub-massive clots. I'm preparing to travel out of state for an open-chest procedure that will physically remove the clots and allow my heart to heal.
My lung clot diagnosis came in February of this year after I woke up on the floor of my bathroom twice in one morning. I had spent months struggling with shortness of breath and the inability to perform simple tasks, such as walking uphill or cleaning my room, without a racing heart rate and struggling to breathe. When I was diagnosed, I was told that the accumulation of clots in my lungs caused residual damage to the muscles in my heart, specifically the right ventricle, as it attempted to push against the build-up of pressure caused by the clots. Swollen, enlarged, and weak, my heart constantly struggled against a heavy load and was entering a state of failure. During my stay in the hospital I was also diagnosed with WPW (Wolff-Parkinson-White) syndrome, which is an unrelated heart condition that causes my heart rate peak uncontrollably. These two issues began working in conjunction to make basic movement and tasks near impossible.
To relieve the pressure in my heart I underwent a clot-busting procedure and placed on blood thinners to prevent future clots while my body worked on breaking down the existing ones.
Unfortunately, I would find that I was not responsive to the medications. After three months of “recovery” I began noticing signs of regression, feeling much the way that I did prior to my hospitalization in February. My concerns were confirmed when I blacked out three times. The first time I blacked out in my bed after getting ready for work, woken up by the sound of myself gasping for air but unable to breathe, which caused me to form a black eye and pop the blood vessels in my eyes. The second time I blacked out was in my driveway after getting home from work, where I hit my head and scraped up my legs. The third time I blacked out was in the bathroom of the hospital, falling on my face and cutting myself on my brow bone.
Heart failure and new clots. My heart was not recovering like it should, my body was not reacting to the medication like it should, and my heart was not pumping out the amount of blood that my body needed.
The damage my heart has endured, and continues to endure, is causing it to head down the road of complete heart failure. To treat this I am preparing to Nashville for further heart care so that we can get ride of the existing clots and relieve the pressure on my heart.
During the entire battle, I've been uninsured. At first I simply could not afford the cost of insurance as a freelancer. Recently, I was offered work that would have made purchasing insurance possible but was unable to take the work due to the condition of my health. It’s the first time in my life where I feel like I’m helpless and actually unable to do something, after spending years overcoming challenge after challenge and still coming up on top.
Surgery is being planned as we speak and recovery will take many weeks. I’m simply asking for a little help to cover costs for treatment and cost for the travel that will be required for the procedure.
I appreciate any and all support, regardless of what you can and can’t afford. You have all been such an amazing support system and I couldn’t be more thankful.
Eugene
My lung clot diagnosis came in February of this year after I woke up on the floor of my bathroom twice in one morning. I had spent months struggling with shortness of breath and the inability to perform simple tasks, such as walking uphill or cleaning my room, without a racing heart rate and struggling to breathe. When I was diagnosed, I was told that the accumulation of clots in my lungs caused residual damage to the muscles in my heart, specifically the right ventricle, as it attempted to push against the build-up of pressure caused by the clots. Swollen, enlarged, and weak, my heart constantly struggled against a heavy load and was entering a state of failure. During my stay in the hospital I was also diagnosed with WPW (Wolff-Parkinson-White) syndrome, which is an unrelated heart condition that causes my heart rate peak uncontrollably. These two issues began working in conjunction to make basic movement and tasks near impossible.
To relieve the pressure in my heart I underwent a clot-busting procedure and placed on blood thinners to prevent future clots while my body worked on breaking down the existing ones.
Unfortunately, I would find that I was not responsive to the medications. After three months of “recovery” I began noticing signs of regression, feeling much the way that I did prior to my hospitalization in February. My concerns were confirmed when I blacked out three times. The first time I blacked out in my bed after getting ready for work, woken up by the sound of myself gasping for air but unable to breathe, which caused me to form a black eye and pop the blood vessels in my eyes. The second time I blacked out was in my driveway after getting home from work, where I hit my head and scraped up my legs. The third time I blacked out was in the bathroom of the hospital, falling on my face and cutting myself on my brow bone.
Heart failure and new clots. My heart was not recovering like it should, my body was not reacting to the medication like it should, and my heart was not pumping out the amount of blood that my body needed.
The damage my heart has endured, and continues to endure, is causing it to head down the road of complete heart failure. To treat this I am preparing to Nashville for further heart care so that we can get ride of the existing clots and relieve the pressure on my heart.
During the entire battle, I've been uninsured. At first I simply could not afford the cost of insurance as a freelancer. Recently, I was offered work that would have made purchasing insurance possible but was unable to take the work due to the condition of my health. It’s the first time in my life where I feel like I’m helpless and actually unable to do something, after spending years overcoming challenge after challenge and still coming up on top.
Surgery is being planned as we speak and recovery will take many weeks. I’m simply asking for a little help to cover costs for treatment and cost for the travel that will be required for the procedure.
I appreciate any and all support, regardless of what you can and can’t afford. You have all been such an amazing support system and I couldn’t be more thankful.
Eugene
Fundraising team (3)
Eugene Salas
Organizer
Atlanta, GA
Erica Salas
Team member
Lizz Lanius
Team member
