Support Shashank's Heart & Kidney Transplants

My name is Shashank, and I live in Coral Springs, South Florida with my wife, Anisha, and our two sons..

On the night of Sunday, March 24, 2025, at 1:30 am, I suffered a major heart attack. My wife, Anisha, rushed me to the emergency room at North Broward Hospital, where doctors performed a cardiac catheterization and discovered that three major arteries supplying blood to my heart were more than 75% blocked. The medical team transferred me to Broward General Hospital in Fort Lauderdale for more intensive care early the next morning.

By Tuesday, March 25, my heart efficiency had dropped below 15%, so doctors decided to place a heart pump to stabilize my condition. During the procedure, I went into cardiac arrest and had to be revived five times through code blue interventions. I was flatlined for 20 minutes, and doctors warned my wife that if I were revived, there was a high likelihood of severe brain damage due to lack of oxygen. However, my wife insisted that they do everything possible. Dr. Justice and his team installed two life-saving devices, an ECMO (oxygenator) and an Impella (heart pump), which have kept me alive.

By Friday, March 28, the medical team determined that I needed to be transferred to the heart transplant unit at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida. I am currently in the cardiac ICU at Memorial Hospital, where I continue to receive care.

I was unconscious and sedated for 2 weeks. When I regained consciousness, I was able to recognize my family, and doctors confirmed that my brain was intact. They described my recovery as a miracle. I owe this to all to my friends and well wishers who prayed for me.

I spent four weeks on a ventilator and oxygenator, and throughout this time, I also required dialysis. Unfortunately, the powerful medications needed to keep me alive caused damage to my kidneys and cut off oxygen to my limbs. My hands and feet were nearly gangrenous. I had tremors in my hands and I could barely stand. I have also developed double vision. The hospital, which specializes in cardiac care, does not have the resources to treat my limbs. Initially, they planned to amputate the fingers of my left hand. Thankfully, we consulted with a plastic surgeon friend, and with the help of Ayurvedic medicine, my condition improved significantly within two weeks.

Though I’m still in the ICU, the heart pump is keeping my heart functional, but it remains weak. Doctors have determined that I will need both a heart and kidney transplant to survive. Until I find a suitable donor, I will remain in the ICU, receiving oxygen and dialysis.

The transplants I require are complex and extremely expensive. In addition to the surgeries themselves, I will need ongoing care, including immunosuppressant medications to prevent organ rejection, which will be required before and after the transplants. I will remain in the ICU for several more weeks, and after that, I will need frequent outpatient visits, physical therapy, and nursing care. Additionally, I will need to make modifications to my home to accommodate my recovery. The medical expenses are overwhelming, and we will need assistance to cover co-insurance and other out-of-pocket/surprise costs. There are several consultants in Memorial Hospital who are out of network and those we are liable to pay for their services in full. I don’t have relatives in the United States to assist me during this challenging time.

I have been advised rest and isolation for 1 year.. Anisha, my wife, is currently the sole breadwinner. She has been working full-time while also caring for our children and visiting me in the ICU every day.

Update June 7th:

By god's grace I was on status 1 list for heart and kidney transplant. On May 19 I had good news that heart and kidney may be available and surgery will be next day. I immediately signed the consent and had my heart transplant done on May 20 and kidney on May 21. I am very lucky as patients wait on average for 5-6 months.

I am out of ICU for past 2 weeks, in isolation and probably next week i will be transferred to Rehab. I want Anisha to focus on helping me recover without having to worry about finances. Primarily we are raising money for covering some of the co-insurance, post-op care, pay for copays, pay for out of network doctors and to mitigate the risk of surprise costs.. Because i am Immuno-compromised I have to be mindful of infections. In last week itself i had 2 emergencies but as i am in hospital it is okay, otherwise the cost and copay would be enormous.

In this difficult situation, I’m reaching out for financial help and support. If your company has a charity or donation program, I kindly ask you to consider contributing to help us through this time. Your generous contribution will make a significant difference in our ability to move forward and help me get back my life

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support.

Sincerely,

Shashank