Give a New Heart and a New Lease on Life

Update: It doesn't look like this is going to happen any time soon. I can't get anyone to do the job for the money that I have to offer. I'm going to keep trying, but I have managed to lose even more people in my life after asking for help. Also, with the destruction of the American economy, I'm feeling a bit pessimistic. If anyone wants a refund, please let me know. I understand.

About 20 years ago, I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure and it changed my life. If you ever have "the talk" with a doctor, in addition to being incredibly depressing, it gives you a chance to look at where you are in life. I was much more exhausted by small things that other people take for granted, had to be careful what I ate and drank, had to avoid stress and take lots of pills to stay alive. I was able to continue working in a high-stress environment, but due to the conditioning worsening over time, I was unable to keep up much of my social life, which meant that friends gradually drifted away and I became more and more isolated.

Due to malpractice several years ago, my heart failure became significantly worse and has continued to deteriorate up to the point where I need a new heart. In addition to the fact that I really don't want to die (particularly the slow, suffering death that CHF offers), I also have hope that in getting a new heart, I can get back to doing some sort of work, using the skills and talents that I have accumulated over the years. I was trained as a chef and have a great love of being creative with food, business strategy and I also have a writing background as well. I am self-motivated and have become very self-reliant over the years and would love to not only be able to live, but to be able to live a full life again, complete with all of the trivial annoyances that go along with it.

Born in San Francisco, now living in Sacramento, I'm looking at getting a heart transplant at UCSF. I have insurance for the surgery and hospital stay, but I will be needing to pay a main caregiver and a back up caregiver to stay with me for about 6 weeks afterwards and for many weeks after I return home (this is required just to get on the transplant list). They will help me with going to daily check-ups at the hospital and calling-in case of an emergency. I will also have to pay for housing in a facility near the hospital. The total for this will be more than I am asking for. As it stands right now, all of the many tests and pre-transplant procedures are done, but I can't even get on the heart transplant list without getting the caregivers squared away, so this is the most important thing at this point.

In spite of the difficulties of modern life, I believe in the profound goodness in people and am genuinely grateful that there are people out there who I don't know, who are willing to help me save my life. Even if you are not in a position to donate, it would be extremely helpful if you could share the link to this fundraiser. I don't do much social media (I'm old) and having it shared would be fantastic. Thank you so much.