In short, Debbie Hamilton needs your help. You don't necessarily have to read what is written but once you chose any paragraph, it will become a book you want to finish. If that is not tantalizing enough, imagine a medical hero working in the Covid-19 world risking even the chance to get a transplant if ever infected. Debbie Hamilton, best known in Utah for her work with a delightful 29 inch therapy horse named Daisy, has been on a nearly 6 year heart problem journey. What started out as an improperly diagnosed heart ailment, blossomed into a full scale briar patch called HCM. She has a blog for that long and miserable series of troubles. She eventually was listed for a heart transplant and we were delightfully called at 10 PM Thanksgiving eve by the Cleveland Clinic that they had one. Debbie jumped for joy. The transplant went reasonably well with one complication affecting the performance of her left lung. She remained in Cleveland for about 6 weeks, given our lovely winter weather, for all the testing as required. All was running along fairly well to that point. Then, with little warning, her world was turned completely upside down. On March 3, Debbie went her local transplant doctor for what she thought was going to be a cursory visit. It escalated quickly when the doctor recognized something was terribly wrong in how she looked combined with oxygen issues. His lightning response spun her into the ER area who quickly gained essential numbers. Within the hour she was in ICU under intense care with what was suspected to be advanced heart rejection. It fit the picture. Over the next 24 hours all measures to maintain Debbie failed and all tests equally failed to reveal the cause. She was quickly spinning to a final destiny. The decision was made to put her on full life support with a machine called ECMO. Look it up folks. All I can say is that it is a technical marvel which is a necessary ghastly invasion of the human body. In short, a last chance. It took over the pumping and oxygenation of her blood. Arrangements were made with the Cleveland Clinic for them to fly to Norfolk Virginia with a full medical staff on board with the hopes of getting her there before it all ended. The Cleveland Clinic pounced on Debbie with many specialists and doctors. Like Norfolk, the actual issue remained elusive as it still does 2 weeks later. But what had to occur, to this date, was both a incredible display of technology combined with essential medical procedures. She was sedated for 10 days, subjected to further surgical pounding of her body which included a tracheostomy. When finally awakened, she spent a week trapped inside herself, able to hear, unable to speak. The Cleveland Clinic methodically began to remove support to see what Debbie Hamilton was still there after 2 weeks in a Heart ICU. As she improved, numerous conditions revealed themselves. Today, it is quite apparent that she may require extensive time in both occupational and physical therapy. She has little use of her legs at this point and is unable to walk. Her right arm is limited in use. She can now talk with the trach tube in place. Breathing treatments continue every 4 hours as they try to restore her ability to breathe normal air. She can talk clearly when it has a special cap and they are working towards the day the trach is removed. There is some memory loss in what is affectionately called brain fog. It is random in affect and Debbie sometimes struggles to recall events or words. At this point, there is no known time when she will leave the stepdown unit at the Cleveland Clinic but plans are being put in place where she will then be transferred to a rehabilitation center. Even when that day arrives, there could still weeks to months ahead of trying to return Debbie, as much as possible, to her former physical and mental self. Meanwhile, her husband is trying to keep the farm together with all her other miniature horses and a couple of big ones.  He is tending to affairs and planning an attempt to move to Cleveland to be close to what Debbie firmly believes is the finest Heart Care facility in the United States, the Cleveland Clinic.   Debbie is going to be out of work for quite some time, even after rehabilitation.   Short term disability, which only a portion of her base pay, has been nearly consumed with the heart transplant itself.  Long term disability is nowhere near what is needed to address the bills, have a place to come home to, and try to preserve the special place in her heart for Daisy and friends. We do not know where the road leads, what other trials will occur, and whether or not Debbie and Daisy will once again appear together in nursing homes, hospitals, and institutions.  All we can do is try.  Your support will help determine that future.

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Debbie Hamilton - Heart Transplant and Beyond

Debbie Hamilton - Heart Transplant and Beyond

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