Heart Attack at 54 - Rebuilding Lance's Heart

Hi! My name is Julia Mogensen and I'm raising funds to help with medical expenses and living expenses for my brother, Lance Harrison, following open heart surgery to correct a heart birth defect.

About Lance - Lance is 54 years old, is married with four kids in their twenties, works hard and tries to take care of himself and his family. Lance enlisted in the Army, stationed at Ft. Bragg in the 82nd Airborne Division. After he left the military, he took college classes, got a job, and started a family. Lance and his wife, Cassie, regularly open their home to lots of friends and family. They welcomed my own daughter for a semester of school when she needed a change of scenery and they regularly act as a host family for youth and traveling hockey players. Cassie has worked in health care for years and Lance works in a door manufacturing plant.

What happened? Lance and Cassie are no strangers to challenges. Cassie has battled cancer twice and won but was left with heart issues of her own resulting from her cancer treatment. Lance and I lost our mom this year in June, leaving a pretty big hole in our lives. This year, on Thanksgiving night, Lance suffered a heart attack. Thanks to Cassie's quick thinking, he was rushed to the hospital and stabilized. The doctors proceeded to do an angiogram, assuming they would find a blockage. Instead, they found that Lance had a birth defect in his heart. One of his arteries connected to his heart in the wrong place, putting it at risk of being squeezed by the heart muscle itself, causing the heart attack. It is a miracle that he lived his life this long before the birth defect caused a heart attack. (anomalous coronary artery)

The outcome - Fast forward to December 19th, an amazing doctor, Dr. Ranjit John, at University of Minnesota Hospitals in Minneapolis, performed open heart, reconstructive surgery on Lance to correct this condition. (Myocardial Bridge Unroofing) Surgery took about 7 hours and was a success. Lance, Cassie, and our whole family are so grateful and blessed by the amazing team of healthcare workers that have cared for Lance throughout this journey. God has truly blessed Lance.

What's next? Lance has had to be off work since the heart attack and will be off for cardiac rehabilitation for at least another 12 weeks. There will be multiple follow up appointments and travel to see doctors and therapists. In addition, Lance's vocal cords were affected by the intubation and he has additional appointments to see what is needed to correct this-he can only speak in a loud whisper. If all goes well, he will be assessed to determine if and when he can return to work.

What's the ask? I am asking for your help in offering a little bit of financial support for this family. They know they are blessed with jobs and loving family support. However, the financial strain is putting them in a position to have to make some tough decisions about how to allocate their limited resources. Please help me to get this family over the hump, to help them get by, pay their mortgage, cover the medical and travel expenses, and just focus on getting Lance healthy and their lives back on track. All the funds from this fundraiser will go directly to Lance and Cassie to use as needed for these things.

Why should I help? Great question! We have all had challenges or known someone who has gone through worse. However, helping someone in time of need connects us with each other, is contagious - will encourage others to do the same, and is an example of God's love in our midst. Any amount is appreciated. If financial support is not possible at this time, your thoughts and prayers will be equally appreciated. God bless.