Dearest friends, family, and support network,

My name is Kat Zettler and on Sunday June 11th - while 31 weeks pregnant - I survived a rare heart attack caused by something called SCAD - Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection. SCAD heart attacks typically affect healthy women with no known signs of cardiac issues/risks and no know history of coronary disease.

I was admitted into Campbell River ICU on Sunday night and then airlifted to St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver on Monday morning. I was then rushed into their Cardiac ICU while still in cardiac failure. I stayed in Cardiac ICU for 3 days, underwent several procedures, and was given some of the best care and medications by world leading experts in Cardiology!

Now some good news: the artery that began to dissect itself was caught and taken seriously by some of the BEST world leading doctors in Cardiac medicine in the world! St. Paul's has a world renowned team of experts in Cardiology and they also have a world renowned team of Cardiac-Obstetrics & Maternity! I feel very blessed to have survived. Had I not gone to CR emerg and been admitted to ICU, had they not done the bloodwork, an airlift, etc, things would be very different. The other good news is that our beautiful baby boy is still in marvelous health and he continues to have a dedicated team of Cardiac-Obstetrics checking on him! I've lost track of how many doctors are supporting my case. I have a whole binder dedicated to my case because it's a) SCAD which is rare and b) it's SCAD during pregnancy which is also a big thing!

I've had several heart ultrasounds done over the course of a few days to look at the damage and ensure it was stabilizing. After a few days of constant vital checks, bloodwork, and tests, I was declared medically stable enough to be discharged!!

The bad news is: the damage in certain parts of my heart was substantial and I'm considered high risk for an indefinite period. Colin and I are both required to stay within less than 20 minutes of St.Paul's Hospital for the remaining duration of our pregnancy & a few weeks postpartum.

I'll be on blood thinners, beta blockers and drugs that lower my blood pressure for the rest of my life. I also have several specialist appointments to attend here at St. Paul's weekly - The Maternity & Delivery care team will continue to do non-stress tests for baby boy and continual ultrasounds to ensure he remains healthy, despite me being on medications that can affect his birth weight and overall development. I'll be required to deliver my baby here and I'll be substantially more at risk of postpartum cardiac failure in the weeks to months after I deliver - hence why we're required to stay in Vancouver for a few weeks postpartum.

Financially, the requirement for Colin and I to remain in Vancouver for 10-14 weeks is not possible for us at this time. Colin and I were hoping we could return home but due to the damage that was caused in my left ventrical, there is still a substantial risk of me going back into heart failure.

We're both off work now indefinitely, and will still have bills to pay back home even while we've temporarily relocated. So we are putting the call out to our beloved community and support network for financial support. This figure is based on us (HOPEFULLY) being eligible for partial accomodation subsidy. Our extended health insurance is covering the ICU and ambulance costs, the specialist follow-up appointments and some but not all of the medication costs. We are asking for $9,000 - $10,000 to cover accomodation expenses, food expenses and transportation costs up until the end of August.

If you've read to the bottom of this, please accept our most sincere gratitude. With humble hearts, we both ask that you share this link with friends and family on social media, and if possible, give a donation. No amount is too little or too small at this time. We both miss everyone dearly and can not wait until we are back home with baby boy in tow! There are not enough words to express both of our love and appreciation for all of the support coming from everyone back home ❤️

We both send back our strength and resolve, and we thank you for your continued emotional support and messages. We both could not do it without you ❤️