Back in early 2015 at the age of 47, Diane started not feeling well with dizzy spells. That’s when her life suddenly changed. While in the hospital waiting to have tests done, her heart stopped. She had to have emergency surgery to insert a pacemaker. Six months later she started having bouts of heart failure. After two more pacemaker upgrade surgeries, she knew something still wasn’t right. She never fully recovered after the second and third surgeries; in fact, she could feel herself getting sicker and sicker. With the help of her cardiologist, she got an appointment with renowned physician, Dr. Michael Mathier at UPMC’s Heart and Vascular Institute. It was there she and Nick heard the words no one wanted to hear – “We think you need a heart transplant.”

Although this process has been daunting and frightening to Diane, Nick, and their family, they are comforted with the outpouring of love and support they have been given by friends, family and the community. They want to thank everyone in advance for all of the prayers, love, and support you have given them.

As her friends, we know that this process is going to be a long one~a marathon, not a sprint~ so we established this GoFundMe to help offset the lifelong costs associated with a transplant. Medicines, lost wages, copays, etc. will add up quickly. We know Diane and Nick have spent their lives giving to others and now it’s their turn to receive.