Hi everyone. My name is Casey Hallenbeck. I am 23 years old and a recent graduate of Indiana University Bloomington with a degree in Parks, Recreation, and the Outdoors. On August 19th, 2025, after weeks of feeling sick, I went to the Bloomington Emergency Room and was diagnosed with stage 4 congenital heart failure, pancreatitis, complete liver failure, and complete kidney failure/function. The following day, I went into heart failure and was in a coma for the next 17 hours.

On August 26th, I was lifelined up to the Indianapolis IU Health Methodist Hospital where I’ve been in the cardiology ICU receiving life-saving medical care from one of the best cardiology teams in the nation. While I have been making great strides towards recovery, it is still a long road ahead as I work up to open heart surgery in a few weeks where a Left Ventricular Assistive Device (LVAD) will be attached to my heart to help my heart adequately pump blood to the rest of my body, as its current function is only around 15%. As I close in on almost a month being in the hospital, I’ve been surrounded by family and visited by many friends, so my spirits are high; however, the financial burden has not been easy for me or my family despite them telling me not to worry about it. If I don’t want the hospital food, or if I want something other than water to drink, it’s been money out of our pockets. My family has to pay for their own meals, parking at the hospital, and had to help me pay rent in September while I’ve not been home at all and instead have been stuck in a hospital bed with a balloon pump helping my heart pump blood efficiently. Doctors are still trying to get to the root of what caused this heart failure, but given my young age and lack of common heart failure symptoms, each test result often leads to more questions than answers, which can be disheartening at times.

I am not one to ask for money from others, but given the length of time I’ve been in the hospital and how much longer I will be here (November with the LVAD surgery + recovery in PCU), any donation would be so helpful for my situation, whether it’s helping me get a meal that isn’t bland hospital food or a drink like a smoothie. I’ve also had to leave my roommates high and dry and while they’ve been extremely supportive and don’t need me to pay my portion of rent, it would be nice to use some of the money from this to help them too. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and even if you aren’t able to donate, your thoughts and prayers throughout my journey are what matters and is getting me through this tough moment in my life.

Thank you,

Casey Hallenbeck