Donate to Dan's Heart Transplant Recovery

Hi everyone,

My name is Dan, and I am coming to peace that I need to have a heart transplant.

I was diagnosed in 1975 at the age of 11 with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). This is a disease where the center wall of the heart becomes thickened which prevents the aortic valve in the left ventricle to open all the way causing outflow obstruction, this is the oxygenated blood that returns back to the body.

Here is a video on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) from Dr Ashley who has been my cardiologist at Stanford Hospital for the past 18 Years

https://youtu.be/E0gu_CEzNNo

HCM has given me several challenges over the years with medication and countless surgeries and devices. I had my first ICD (implanted cardio defibrillator) - which is both a pacemaker and a defibrillator - in 2000 at the age of 36. 24 years later I am on my 5th ICD. In 2008, I had open heart surgery for a septal myectomy. This involves cutting out part of the center wall of the heart next to the aortic valve. This allowed that valve to open more, creating more O2 blood back into the body. This surgery was a success giving me the O2 that I needed to live with more daily energy. I have had 4 ablation surgeries for AFib and ventricular tachycardia - unfortunately none were successful. I have had lead wires removed, replaced, and abandoned. I have been shocked for therapy in my lower heart chambers more than 30 times for ventricular tachycardia (abnormal heart rhythm) using cardioversion.

I have been living the last 5 years in and out of Afib and my heart is getting weaker and weaker. My doctor at Stanford has been wanting me to move forward with the process to get a heart transplant. This has been an incredibly difficult decision to make but I am coming to the realization that my quality of life has been so low for so long due to this hereditary disease.

I am humbling myself because I need to reach out for financial assistance for this process. When Stanford calls, I will need to be able to drop everything at a moment's notice to go in for a transplant. I have to find housing within the Palo Alto area for 3 months after surgery for hospital visits and monitoring of the recovery and anti rejection medication. I will have to have family and friends take time away from work and cover travel expenses to be by my side 24/7 for these 3 months. I will be out of work while I recover, losing wages.

This is an incredibly scary time in my life but I know that this is the best option for me to enjoy more time with my family and have a better quality of life. Having a heart that will work the way it should without all the medication and being so short of breath will be priceless for me.

I would appreciate thoughts and prayers through this process. If you can donate to my expenses, I would be so grateful.

Thank you,

Dan