Please Pray for Bill and Susan

July 5th - Update

This is an update that I received very early this morning from Susan! Friends we need to be in prayer for Bill and for Susan. Please Pray!

He is also scheduled to have surgery this Tuesday to have his defibrillator replaced. The battery has just about reached its maximum amount of years.

Bill went to the ER last night. He blacked out and once he got there they determined he was in Vtach. They gave him an injection of a medication he takes and that put him back into rhythm. His heart doctors want him in Peoria so he is waiting for transport over there. I came home to take care of the dogs and try to rest. They will call me when they have a room and they head that way. I (Susan) have to be honest that I am really struggling right now.

May 14th Update:

Today marks 6 weeks since the day of surgery. Bill went to his cardiologist in Peoria today and got a great report. He is healing nicely and goes back for the next visit in 3 weeks. They removed the sutures around the driveline incision site and I will now be changing the dressing just once a week instead of once a day. His sternum incision is healed and he is now allowed to slowly start using his arms as he feels comfortable. He is to continue the in home physical therapy twice a week. And we will still have the home health nurse come once a week for several more weeks.

We are continuing to learn how to manage our new life and praising God for all of the things he has done for us these past 2 months. God is good all of the time!

Susan

Update May 2nd:

We are now 4 weeks post surgery and Bill is doing well. Each day he gets stronger and he works hard with PT when they come to the house. He had an appointment yesterday with his cardiologist in Peoria and he was very pleased with his progress. We will return in 2 weeks. He is still working to wrap his mind around the LVAD and it now being a permanent part of the rest of his life. I’ve been busy working with insurance on some charges they might not pay and that is exhausting. We appreciate all of the financial help everyone has provided and continue to give us. It is such a blessing to not have to worry as much as we are neither one working. Thank you all!

Susan

Update April 23

We have completed week 1 at home and as expected there have been ups and downs. I think Bill is doing well and he does seem to be getting stronger each day. We are learning so many things and also figuring out ways to make the LVAD a permanent piece of the rest of our lives.

We are waiting for the insurance to approve the physical therapy and hoping that they do. This is an integral piece of his healing and necessary before he starts doing cardiac rehabilitation.

Thank each of you for your prayers and support. The monetary gifts have been such a blessing.

Susan

Update April 16

Update-

Hallelujah! Bill has been home for a little over 24 hours and we are getting along pretty well. Lots of phone calls to set up appointments, home health nurse came today, setting up a nurse to come to do lab work at home, in home PT and OT will start soon and I spent some time today setting up and learning all about his medications. They will soon start sending shipments of his LVAD supplies for the daily dressing changes I’ll be doing. It’s a lot…but God is so good to be right the midst of everything we are experiencing!

Susan

Update April 14

Ok everyone: the update we have all

been waiting for:

The day has come! Bill will be coming home on Tuesday, April 15th!

Lindsey has set up a Meal Train and you can find a link to that on Facebook. Bill wants to see all of you and we plan to get to that point. Right now he is pretty immune suppressed so please call before stopping by. This will also help to not wear him out too much. We will have masks at the house, as everyone will have to wear one if you come to see Bill. We have a long journey ahead with lots of learning and getting used to our new normal.

We can’t express our appreciation to each of you for your prayers and support.

Continue to pray for Bill and Susan as they work through and get use to their new normal! ❤️

Susan

Update April 10

Good afternoon. What a difference a few days can make. They have removed all the IVs and tubes and wires from his chest. He is walking the halls and learning how to do the steps again. Doing great.

The plans are to keep him exercising and make sure he doesn’t lose any more muscle in his legs. He might be ready to move to a rehab facility sometime next week.

Again we appreciate all the prayers and support we have received. We are truly blessed and grateful.

Susan

Update April 9

I am so excited to post this update from Susan,

Bill has been moved from ICU to intermediate ICU. They have taken out the chest tubes. They also have removed the dressing from the sternum and the wound VAC he had on the incision. He has had a little pain from all of that happening today. Now they will start walking him more.

Keep those prayers coming as we still have a long road ahead.

Update: April 8

It has been a week since Bill received his mechanical heart pump on April 1st. He has had a lot of ups and downs with medication, blood pressure and his over all spirits.

Bill is alert and walking the halls about 175 steps 3X a day. He should get the port out of his neck today. Working on getting the chest tubes out also. And they have taken him off a couple of the stronger meds he was on.

Thank all of you for prayers, well wishes and continued support. We still have a long way to go. I will keep you all updated.

Susan

Update:

Day 31 in the hospital and day 4 after major heart surgery. He is sitting in the chair for longer periods of time. They are still working with lots of numbers and his blood pressure becoming stable. The chest tubes are still in and lots of other tubes and machines still hooked up.

Update:

Day 2 after surgery. He is doing well but is a little more drained today. He has been up in the chair this morning, but is back in bed now. Lots of people in and out. And lots of information being given to him and Susan for this new journey they will be on.

April 2nd update

Update-

Bill is fully awake now. They removed the temporary aortic balloon pump during the night now that the LVAD is confirmed to be working. The breathing tube has been taken out. They will slowly start to sit him up in the bed. And then transition to the chair. Still a very long road ahead but praising God that the surgery is behind him. ❤️

keep those prayers coming!

Surgery Update:

Update-

He has just arrived back to his room. The team is with him for a bit longer and then his nurse will take over for the night. He will start to wean him off of the machines and get the breathing tube out as soon as possible. I will be able to go to the room in a couple of hours and I will stay the night there.

Thank you all for the prayers during the surgery. We are blessed by so many friends! ❤️

April 1 - Surgery Update:

Update-

The LVAD is in place and working well. They are now slowly removing him from the bypass machine. Then they will begin the process of closing him up. She will try to update in another couple of hours.

PRAISE GOD! Keep those prayers coming! ❤️❤️

April 1 - Surgery Update

Update-

During the echocardiogram they do prior to surgery the doctor saw an enlargement in Bill’s bicuspid aortic valve so he has decided to put a ring in to tighten it up. He is on the bypass machine now and when they finish that they will proceed with starting the LVAD procedure. She will call in a couple hours with another update.

April 1 - Surgery Update

I just received a text from Susan and they are just now taking Bill to the OR. Please be praying for Bill. The surgery will be lasting 6 to 8 hours. ❤️❤️

April 1

Update on Surgery: medical team will come

and get Bill from his room in ICU and take him to surgery at 12:00pm. Surgery will then start around 12:45 pm. Keep in mind that these times are approximate! ❤️❤️

Update 3-31-25

I received word from Susan, that tomorrow is surgery day for Bill! He is second on the list so he will be going in around noon. This surgery will take anywhere from six to eight hours! Please pray for Bill and all medical

team as well as Susan and the rest of the family!

I will update on here tomorrow as I hear from Susan!

Update- 3-28-25

Day 22 of being in the hospital. Bill is stable and awaiting his surgery on

April 1st. He is lying flat because of the intra-aortic balloon pump that was put in. He is in a Vital Go bed which keeps him flat but inclines and lifts so they can work on strengthening his muscles. It’s been a long 3 weeks and there will be even longer and harder days ahead.

Continue to pray for our dear friends! Please

feel free to share the Go Fund Me. Thank

you so very much for all that have donated!

Thank you on behalf of Bill and Susan!

A special Happy Birthday to Susan today!

Update 3-26-25:

I just wanted to say thank you on behalf of Bill and Susan to Bill’s coffee group when Bill passed out at Tres Cafe and Chest Compressions had to be done until the paramedics arrived. Thank you for your heroic measures! ❤️

3-25-25:

Over the past few weeks, we have prayed for our friend, Bill Hayes, his wife Susan and family. He is still in the ICU at St. Francis and will be for quite some time. At this point, his heart is too weak to meet his body’s needs. He will be having surgery the first week of April to implant a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD). This permanent machine is used to treat advanced heart failure and will essentially pump his blood for him. He has a long road ahead with a lengthy hospital stay once the surgery is completed.

Bill will be off work for quite some time and as Susan is his primary care giver, she will not be able to work for a while either. We all know that the stress of financial issues and not being able to pay monthly bills can be a huge burden as well as Susan driving from Galesburg to Peoria everyday. This is not something Bill needs to worry about at this time, so let’s rally around them to make things easier. If you can’t donate at this time, please keep Bill and his family in your thoughts and prayers.