An Amazing Family In Need
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My very close friends, Steve, Giselle and their 8 year old daughter (my Goddaughter) are in the middle of a nightmare they never saw coming, and need some help.
August 29th/'18, without warning, Steve started having trouble breathing and was admitted into a local hospital. Two days later, he was told that he was being sent to a London hospital and would need a pacemaker. This was a complete shock. He's a healthy, 39 year old man, with no known genetic predisposition for any heart conditions. Once in London, they began running more tests and found that Steve had a heart attack at some point, and only 20% of his heart was pumping. The Dr's had planned to continue with different tests but Steve's lungs filled with fluid and his major organs started to fail. Thankfully, because of the Dr's, nurses and Steve's strength, they were able to stabilize him. He had a angiogram done on September 9th, two of his arteries are completely blocked. He was told he would need to have bypass surgery, but that they needed to continue running more tests. September 11th, the Dr. told Steve that he still had too much fluid in his lungs and around his heart. A last resort medication used to remove excess fluid needed to be flown in. If that medication didn't work, they wouldn't be able to perform the bypass surgery. He would have less than a year to live. They ran some more tests, hoping to find something they could do to help him. September 13th, Steve and Giselle were told that he would need a heart transplant. After all the testing they've done, they don't believe the bypass surgery would be successful. The medication arrived and the results were amazing. Steve had lost 27 lbs. of fluid within 3 days of starting the medication. September 16th, we all celebrated Steve's 40th birthday with him. He had a great day. September 17th , Steve's lungs filled with fluid again. September 19th, their plan as of now is to try and remove the fluid so they can run more tests, do procedures and be able to give him a heart pump until a donor heart becomes available. The very least amount of time he'll remain in the hospital is another month.
The reason I'm asking for donations for Steve, Giselle and their daughter is, Steve was laid off in mid August. He had upcoming interviews but for obvious reasons, he couldn't go. Giselle works very hard, but Steve was the primary financial support of the household. With the costs of Giselle commuting from Tilbury to London (sometimes daily) or staying at a cheap hotel, all of the usual household bills, all of the future medical/medication bills, etc. These things are already starting to pile up and it's only just begun. The number one concern is Steve's health. Getting him into the healthiest condition possible and back home with his family, where he belongs. They have enough on their plates without having to worry about how they're going to make ends meet. They would never ask anyone for help or charity, that's why I'm asking for them. They're amazing people and an amazing family. They've put out a lot of good into this world. I can only hope and pray that some of that same generosity and kindness will find it's way back to them in their time of need.
Any donation would be put to good use and would be more than appreciated.
I will keep this page updated if any donations are made.
With appreciation,
Cindy Harris
August 29th/'18, without warning, Steve started having trouble breathing and was admitted into a local hospital. Two days later, he was told that he was being sent to a London hospital and would need a pacemaker. This was a complete shock. He's a healthy, 39 year old man, with no known genetic predisposition for any heart conditions. Once in London, they began running more tests and found that Steve had a heart attack at some point, and only 20% of his heart was pumping. The Dr's had planned to continue with different tests but Steve's lungs filled with fluid and his major organs started to fail. Thankfully, because of the Dr's, nurses and Steve's strength, they were able to stabilize him. He had a angiogram done on September 9th, two of his arteries are completely blocked. He was told he would need to have bypass surgery, but that they needed to continue running more tests. September 11th, the Dr. told Steve that he still had too much fluid in his lungs and around his heart. A last resort medication used to remove excess fluid needed to be flown in. If that medication didn't work, they wouldn't be able to perform the bypass surgery. He would have less than a year to live. They ran some more tests, hoping to find something they could do to help him. September 13th, Steve and Giselle were told that he would need a heart transplant. After all the testing they've done, they don't believe the bypass surgery would be successful. The medication arrived and the results were amazing. Steve had lost 27 lbs. of fluid within 3 days of starting the medication. September 16th, we all celebrated Steve's 40th birthday with him. He had a great day. September 17th , Steve's lungs filled with fluid again. September 19th, their plan as of now is to try and remove the fluid so they can run more tests, do procedures and be able to give him a heart pump until a donor heart becomes available. The very least amount of time he'll remain in the hospital is another month.
The reason I'm asking for donations for Steve, Giselle and their daughter is, Steve was laid off in mid August. He had upcoming interviews but for obvious reasons, he couldn't go. Giselle works very hard, but Steve was the primary financial support of the household. With the costs of Giselle commuting from Tilbury to London (sometimes daily) or staying at a cheap hotel, all of the usual household bills, all of the future medical/medication bills, etc. These things are already starting to pile up and it's only just begun. The number one concern is Steve's health. Getting him into the healthiest condition possible and back home with his family, where he belongs. They have enough on their plates without having to worry about how they're going to make ends meet. They would never ask anyone for help or charity, that's why I'm asking for them. They're amazing people and an amazing family. They've put out a lot of good into this world. I can only hope and pray that some of that same generosity and kindness will find it's way back to them in their time of need.
Any donation would be put to good use and would be more than appreciated.
I will keep this page updated if any donations are made.
With appreciation,
Cindy Harris
Organizer
Cindy Harris
Organizer
Chatham, ON
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