- J
- E
- R
I would like to introduce Marcia and Doug Henderson, my amazing parents from Hamilton, Ohio. 2018 turned out to be a year of medical nightmares for the both of them. To date, there has been an accumulation of $400,000+ in medical costs and that number is steadily rising as they are not out of the clear. Long story short, they need help and support to relieve some of the financial burden from their sick hearts, but I am here to share their story.
Dad was admitted to Fort Hamilton Hospital on 2-10-18, a month after my beautiful daughter was born. A viral infection had entered his heart and liver, he developed full pneumonia, his kidneys began shutting down, and he was septic. He was placed into a coma and put on life support for 8 days as the hospital staff referred to him as "the sickest man in the hospital." My dad, being the strong man that he is, pulled through and was able to return home in mid March after completing his physical therapy at Jamestown Inpatient and Outpatient Therapy in Hamilton. After a few good months his condition began to decline in October. Rapid breathing and random arrhythmia occurrences began which resulted in repeated hospitalizations from October to now. He has been diagnosed with Acute Chronic Systolic Heart Failure and Dilated Cardiomyopathy, leaving his heart pumping at 10% efficiency. He is currently a patient of the UC Advanced Heart Failure Clinic and is undergoing preliminary testing for the only remedy available... a heart transplant.
Mom's medical journey for 2018 began in June. She was involved in an car accident that shattered her tibia and fibia, resulting in the need for a steel rod to be implanted in her leg. Little did we know, this was only the beginning. Following her stay in the hospital, she was transferred to a local rehab facility where during her stay her heart went into shutdown mode on June 26th. She was immediately transferred to UC critical care where she underwent intense testing and medicine therapy. She was discharged from the hospital in mid July with a portable defibrillator vest and an inotropic IV (Milrinone) costing thousands per day. My mom is also a patient at the UC Advanced Heart Failure Clinic and her only remedy is also a heart transplant. Presently, her antibody counts are too high to be a viable candidate at this time and this can only be remedied by a cleansing of the antibodies from her blood. The Cleveland Clinic and Cedar-Sinai in LA have been recommended as two facilities that could possibly help to cleanse those antibodies.
We have not lost hope throughout this time as fortunately we live in a world where there are medical advancements everyday. Some days we laugh and say how this whole situation is oddly romantic. My parents have been married for 47 years, were diagnosed with heart failure, and received matching internal defibrillators all in the same year! If that isn't a love story, I don't know what is! We would like to thank you in advance for reading their story and for all the support and love we have received thus far in our journey to healthy hearts for mom and dad.
Love,
Their daughter, Micah
Dad was admitted to Fort Hamilton Hospital on 2-10-18, a month after my beautiful daughter was born. A viral infection had entered his heart and liver, he developed full pneumonia, his kidneys began shutting down, and he was septic. He was placed into a coma and put on life support for 8 days as the hospital staff referred to him as "the sickest man in the hospital." My dad, being the strong man that he is, pulled through and was able to return home in mid March after completing his physical therapy at Jamestown Inpatient and Outpatient Therapy in Hamilton. After a few good months his condition began to decline in October. Rapid breathing and random arrhythmia occurrences began which resulted in repeated hospitalizations from October to now. He has been diagnosed with Acute Chronic Systolic Heart Failure and Dilated Cardiomyopathy, leaving his heart pumping at 10% efficiency. He is currently a patient of the UC Advanced Heart Failure Clinic and is undergoing preliminary testing for the only remedy available... a heart transplant.
Mom's medical journey for 2018 began in June. She was involved in an car accident that shattered her tibia and fibia, resulting in the need for a steel rod to be implanted in her leg. Little did we know, this was only the beginning. Following her stay in the hospital, she was transferred to a local rehab facility where during her stay her heart went into shutdown mode on June 26th. She was immediately transferred to UC critical care where she underwent intense testing and medicine therapy. She was discharged from the hospital in mid July with a portable defibrillator vest and an inotropic IV (Milrinone) costing thousands per day. My mom is also a patient at the UC Advanced Heart Failure Clinic and her only remedy is also a heart transplant. Presently, her antibody counts are too high to be a viable candidate at this time and this can only be remedied by a cleansing of the antibodies from her blood. The Cleveland Clinic and Cedar-Sinai in LA have been recommended as two facilities that could possibly help to cleanse those antibodies.
We have not lost hope throughout this time as fortunately we live in a world where there are medical advancements everyday. Some days we laugh and say how this whole situation is oddly romantic. My parents have been married for 47 years, were diagnosed with heart failure, and received matching internal defibrillators all in the same year! If that isn't a love story, I don't know what is! We would like to thank you in advance for reading their story and for all the support and love we have received thus far in our journey to healthy hearts for mom and dad.
Love,
Their daughter, Micah
Organizer and beneficiary
Douglas Henderson
Beneficiary