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Lvad / Heart Transplant for Roger

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I first met Roger Martinho 2 years ago.
I was writing an article about amazing French confections in an unassuming food court and Roger met me at his register.
He greeted me kindly and spoke to me honestly. It was an interview that I would never forget. When I returned recently to see how he was doing,



I found him in terrible condition. He was sweating at his counter.  There were bags under his eyes. He was a shell of the man I'd come to know. 

Roger needed help.  

But even as I realized how much trouble he was in, I felt a hope well up in me. Because Roger has been many things in his short life.
He was a soldier and a world renown pastry chef. He is a father. He is a husband.
He is a friend. But, one thing that Roger has NEVER been, is a quitter. 


So, when he told me that his heart was failing and that he would need a new one, I knew that we would have a fight ahead of us. But, I also knew that it was a fight that Roger wasn't going to lose.


Roger's History Roger Martinho was born and raised in France. In his youth, he enlisted as a paratrooper for the 6 Rpima and French Foreign Legion. He saw combat and fought bravely for his country.  When his soldiering days were over, he pursued his passion for food,  graduating from the Centre de Formation d’Apprentis Chambre des Metiers et de l’Aristant,  in Pau France in 1979.

In 1983, he earned a Masters in Pastry and in the years since he's worked as a consultant and Executive Pastry Chef all throughout South America, Africa and here in the United States. 


More recently, he opened a shop in Tacoma's Freighthouse square with his wife, Mirtha. They quickly became a staple of the local community, bringing joy to families all over Washington state.   


Roger's Fight Doctor's diagnosed Roger with a heart failure in 2004.
He underwent a triple bypass surgery and had a pacemaker installed.
In the years that have passed since that initial diagnosis, Roger's condition has gotten progressively worse and recently, he's found himself in dire condition.

His life has become a day-to-day struggle.

He lost 45lbs in a matter of weeks. He's almost constantly out of breath.
Fearing that he doesn't have much time left, his doctors have decided that his only option was a Lvad bridge to heart transplant.

How You Can Help Roger's new heart will cost an estimated 1.4 million dollars.

A percentage of this cost will be covered by his insurance and charitable donations, however, a staggering $262,500 will fall on the shoulders of Roger and Mirtha.
This does not include hospital costs, (estimated at $95,000) and the anti-rejection medications he will need for the rest of his life (roughly $2,500 a month).

Every day Roger's situation gets a little more difficult. Every day, his prospects get a little bleaker.

Please help Roger and his wonderful family.

Thank You Please donate.
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Donations 

  • Cecilia and Lee Hall
    • $200 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer

Kellen Burden
Organizer
Tacoma, WA

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