Ashley Payne's Open Heart Surgery

Hi, my name is Marche' Jenkins and I have set up this GoFundMe account on behalf of my friend & co-worker, Ashley Payne.

 

In August 2021, Ashley went to her doctor for an evaluation after battling bouts of dizziness & being lightheaded. It was discovered at this visit that she had a heart murmur that had gone undetected. For further evaluation, an ECHO & bubble test were performed in October which revealed Atrial Septal Defect, a hole in her heart. Along with her cardiologist, a surgical team was consulted and a treatment plan to perform the least invasive attempt to close the hole in her heart was decided to be best, entering through her groin. Ashley underwent her first surgery on November 11th. It was determined during the procedure that the size of the hole was in actuality much bigger than suspected, doubling in size measuring nearly 4 cm. Typically holes this size are most commonly detected in young children and therefore to best accommodate the surgical closure needed, she was referred to a pediatric surgical cardio thoracic specialty team at Wolfson Children's Hospital. Ashley was disappointed that the attempt was unsuccessful but understood the delicacy of having a pediatric specialty team involved. Now, she was facing yet another surgery needed...

 

On December 22nd, Ashley underwent her second surgical attempt to close the hole in her heart, this time with the pediatric specialty team at Wolfson's. During surgery, they were unable to close the hole in her heart due to unforeseen circumstances which could result in disrupting normal heart valve function. It was determined that open heart surgery would be best to properly close the hole and maintain full function of the heart, without causing further complications. Upon waking from sedation, Ashley was informed that she would require open heart surgery which can take anywhere from 3-6 hours to perform and require a minimum of 6-8 weeks healing post operative. She was absolutely devastated. The stress this has already created, having multiple unsuccessful surgeries, has created an enormous financial burden that no one could even be prepared for at best case scenario.

 

Ashley is 21 years old and works as the lead dental assistant in the Aspen Dental office located in Jacksonville, FL. Her hobbies include fitness, fishing with her father, spending time with her friends, and she also enjoys a relaxing bike ride. You can always find Ashley with a cheerful smile and fantastic attitude, loving to help others! Ashley is always wiling to go the extra mile and is the most loyal, dependable person. Her dental career is her passion and she plans to further her career by becoming a dental hygienist. Another goal of Ashley's is to participate in a Wolfson's 5K marathon as a pay it forward to her surgical team.

 

Please help support this wonderful, deserving young lady as she undergoes yet another surgery. All donations will be utilized to help fund the surgeries already performed and ones yet to be performed. Thank you for helping my friend and please continue to keep her in your prayers!

***Update 01/04/2022 - Ashley is scheduled for open heart surgery on 01/21/2022!