Brendan’s Heart fund

Hey, everybody!

Many of you already know that I was in a pretty bad car accident about a year ago. For anyone who doesn’t know, here’s a little recap:

On September 8th of last year, I collided head-on on my motorized scooter with a car running a red light. I spent the next week in the ICU at Cedars-Sinai. Most of my injuries were relatively minor, just some cuts and a few fractures in my pelvis and arm.

But I did suffer a pretty serious tear in the descending aorta of my heart, and I needed a stent put in to repair it. It was a pretty scary experience, but I was told the surgery went well — and after a few months recovering, I was able to get back to my normal life.

A few weeks ago, as we were approaching the one-year mark, I felt a lot of pain in my chest and went to the ER. A CT scan revealed that I had new tearing, as well as some odd clotting, and needed a follow up surgery to expand the stent in my aorta.

So I stayed another week in the ICU and underwent my second surgery on August 19th. The surgical team says this one went well also — so I guess second time’s the charm!

The point being, I’m feeling pretty set back financially by these two hospitalizations. This last one surprisingly was nearly twice as expensive, due to all the CT scans and a heavy blood thinner/BP med IV regimen.

My family was and continues to be very supportive through this ongoing medical process. Even after a lot of help from insurance, the copays have added up and depleted both their savings and my own.

I have had to take time off work for a while as well, as the surgical team placed some post-op restrictions on me, to make sure the issue doesn’t once again recur.

So! All this to say... I’m asking for some financial help. I’d like to give some money back to my parents, and I’d like to be able to pay off some of the outstanding medical bills. I’m also asking for a little extra to help with living costs as I get back on my feet.

Like most people, I’m pretty squeamish about asking for help — it’s something I wouldn’t even consider the first time around.

But I’d love to put this whole crazy experience behind me once and for all — and getting back to square one financially would be a huge help in doing that.

No worries at all if you can’t donate — everyone has already been so great and so kind, and I feel extremely lucky for all the support I have already received.

Thanks so much!