Help Cole fight ARVD

Everyone who knows Cole is a aware he is a man of MANY words.  He has a way of lighting up a room with his contagious smile.  Cole has a condition that is near and dear to the hearts of our family and friends.  It has been impacting us for many years.  Cole is a fighter to say the least and most definitely stubborn but his condition is no joke. Continue reading for the details on his condition and his upcoming events.  He has a lot of expense coming up so if you can help even a little bit, it would be appreciated so so much.  Anything helps! Even prayers!  Please keep Cassandra and Jaxon in your thoughts and prayers too as this is going to be very difficult for them.  -Carli

Cole:
As some of you may know in 2007 I was diagnosed with an extremely serious heart rhythm problem called ARVD. It's a genetic mutation that makes my heart race to rhythms between 200-300 beats per minute. Moderate excercise and more extreme sports and running are out of the question for me for the rest of my life when I used to be very active as a younger guy. I've dealt with this for years and havent let it slow me down much but it's gotten to the point that medications arent helping as much and they have put me on some really bad ones that, over the long term, will likely kill me or at the very least cause major medical problems with my thyroid and lungs as well as other organs. Currently even the flu can cause me to be hospitalized and did in December of last year. That incident shocked my wife Cassandra so much seeing me go thru it that she did some digging into treatments. She found that Johns Hopkins in Maryland is the best hospital on the planet for this disease.

My amazing wife did a lot of research and digging and got me in touch with Dr. Tandri who is? by all accounts, the best on the planet with procedures to reduce or remove symptoms of Ventricular Tachycardia. We have gotten the go ahead for me to go there and receive treatment that will hopefully permanently stop my symptoms and allow me to go off medications. It's been an emotional rollercoaster this last 2.5 months but I'm very optimistic it could be over by the middle of March when I head there for a week and receive my treatment. I will likely be on a table for a whole day but I feel I'm in good hands here and I'm feeling pretty good about it but still nervous. I dont talk about my condition much and I try not to let it get me down but it does often. Over the years I've had to explain why I cant do as many things as I'd like to or people think I'm being a douche because I dont really drink at get togethers. Unfortunately stuff like that isnt in the cards for me and it is difficult to explain to people. I feel like a lot of people just think I'm being lazy and that's not the case at all. Currently I have a lot of limits that arent within my normal range from when I was young. I'm a very independent person and having to get help with things has been a difficult change for me.

I just would like people to keep my family and I in your thoughts and prayers during that time and I appreciate any of it. I will never be able to live the life I did when I was young and didnt have this but my quality of life should be much better after it. The disease is aggressive and can easily kill you if you dont treat it and I'm lucky it hasnt yet as I've had several serious incidents of Ventricular Tachycardia since 2007. I just hope it goes well and this time it works. I had an ablation procedure like this done once before but it was done internally in my heart and not externally, where Dr. Tandri is certain it's coming from. In the end, my biggest fear isnt for me and my diagnosis, that's not going to change. My biggest fear is my son and any future children we may have may get it. I hope that they dont have the burden I have so of you do, please pray for them as well.