Donate to Jason Stewart's Heart Health Recovery

My name is Jason Stewart and I’ve spent my life enjoying an active and healthy lifestyle playing basketball, hiking with our dog, exercising, and eating well. Now I face an incredible hurdle, treating the difficulties of heart failure and an eventual heart transplant.

It started in January of last year. I was informed that I would be laid off from my job as a graphic designer at the end of June. While I worked diligently to search for a new job, I also began to notice health issues that I hadn’t dealt with before. After consulting two doctors, I was misdiagnosed with GERD, a stomach disorder. I continued to treat my health issues based on the recommendations of my local physician. For months, my health issues not only persisted but began to worsen. When I started having trouble walking, I scheduled another appointment with my physician despite not having health insurance. My doctor recommended I continue the treatment and also prescribed an antibiotic. Within days, I could barely walk and struggled to perform everyday tasks. Finally, after a third meeting with my doctor, they diagnosed me with heart failure, and I was rushed to Stormont Vail in Topeka and then to St. Luke’s in Kansas City. When I arrived, the cardiologist conveyed to me the seriousness of my condition.

“You were as close to death as you possibly could be,” he told me. I immediately began treatment in the CICU to help repair my liver and kidneys, which had suffered damage due to my heart condition.

After over two long weeks of treatment, I was released from St. Luke’s, but I have a long road ahead that will likely result in a total heart transplant in the next six months. I’m currently home and focused on healing.

Unfortunately, the job offer that I received prior to my diagnosis was rescinded because I could not begin on-site work on the original start date. Despite being told by two separate individuals within the company that I could work from home for the first three months of my employment, that option was quickly revoked once I disclosed my condition.

As I begin to look for a job that will accommodate my need to work from home and start the process of applying for disability, I’m desperately asking for your assistance. Your contributions will help with things like everyday bills, rent, travel expenses for weekly and monthly in-person appointments, and medical bills.

Thank you for reading my story and for any help that you can provide.