Please take a moment to meet our friend Millie Evans. You may know her as Millie Tankersley. An Oglethorpe County native, she graduated from OCHS in 1991. Then she immediately furthered her education at Athens Technical College, studying Surgical technology and Paramedicine. She became an Emergency Medical Technician in 1992 and went on to become a Paramedic in 1996. Millie joined our Madison County EMS family in 1995, where she still proudly serves our community. 21 years of helping others…..Now, she needs our help!

At age 22, Millie was diagnosed with an Aortic Heart Murmur. Throughout the years, with a healthy lifestyle and medications, she has been able to control the disease. Unfortunately, the diseased valve has reached a critical stage requiring open heart surgery. Many of us have heard of valve replacement. Thank goodness for modern medical technology, because it has saved countless lives.
Surgery to replace an aortic valve is done for aortic valve stenosis and aortic regurgitation, both of which she suffers from. A less invasive procedure does exist, but, sadly, it will not work in her case. During the open- heart surgery, our friend will be placed on cardiopulmonary by-pass/ heart lung machine. A highly skilled and experienced Emory cardiologist will then replace her diseased valve with a mechanical one. She will then spend an undetermined amount of time in the hospital to insure she is strong enough to go home. Three months is the recommended at home recovery time. If all goes as perfectly planned, she will only miss three months of work. Only THREE MONTHS! Most of us panic if we miss one shift much less THREE months. Millie should then be able to function normally with a daily regimen of medications that insure the mechanical valve can function properly. The medical expenses will be tremendous! Although Millie does have medical insurance, it will not fully pay for the surgery. Nor will it pay for her mortgage, electricity or any other typical household bills. We would like to ease some of that burden. We need Millie back at 100%, so that she can continue to serve others as she has done for her entire life. Imagine in 21 years of public service, the many lives she has touched! Whether being the first line of treatment when someone is having a heart attack, crawling into a car to help an accident victim, delivering babies ( which she is notorious for) or the simple acts of kindness while comforting and holding the hand of a terminally ill patient. She willingly does all this because it is what she loves!

First, I ask for your prayers. Prayers for the steady hands of the team of surgeons. Prayers for the nurses and all staff members involved in this delicate procedure.
Secondly, please consider donating. If you do not feel comfortable putting your information online, please feel free to personally make your donation at any First Madison Bank Branch. They have locations in Danielsville, Colbert and Hull. Simply ask to deposit directly into Millie Evans’savings account. They will be pleased to assist you. You can also contact Me through Facebook and I will assist you with any donation you wish to provide .Our hope is to ease the financial burden so that Millie can focus on recovering and returning to what she loves. Thank you for any help you can provide.