Heart Faliure and Recovery: Please help!

Hello all!

My name is Ash Nalbandyan. I am a bartender from Orange County California. I have a beautiful wife with which we have 3 amazing girls that I’m honored to call daughters.

When the pandemic happened, we all were so appreciative of all the family time we had to enjoy. Our youngest daughter was born in February 2020 so it was great to be home while watching her grow. When the time came I went back to work while Jamie spent time while being furloughed from her job raising our family.

On thanksgiving night in 2020, I was having extreme chest pain and nausea. I was born with a disorder that didn’t allow my cells to be able to process cholesterol. So I walked into the ER after our family dinner. After an emergency EKG I had a team of nurses and doctors inside my room trying to stabilize me. As I walked in I had a heart attack. After stabilizing I had 3 stents placed in my arteries and was diagnosed with Systolic Heart Faliure.

Fast Forward 6 months later I was rushed into the ER once again, this time brain releated . My cerebellum herniated out of my skull, called a Chiari Malformation, something I’ve had since birth. I had en emergency craniectomy done, as well as a laminectomy (shaved off 50% of the bone off my first 3 vertebrae) and took about 2mm of my cerebellum out. The surgeon said I needed to take about 4-6 months off of work. Sadly there was no income coming in, so I cut my medical leave short and returned to work.

Two days ago, again I returned to the ER with a spiked blood pressure, a heart rate of 120 and chest pain like I had two years before. I was stabilized once again and had a nuclear test done. This time it showed that my systolic heart faliure was advancing. Now at a stage C. My cariologist and my cardio surgeon both sent a referral for me to be put on the UNOS transplant list, giving me a cetegory 5 listing. Next steps will be another angiogram to see if more stents or by pass needs to be done. On top of that, in the near future, an LVAD would need to be placed.

This all caused a major amount of stress on our family and financial situation. On top of that, I’m taking now over 18 pills multiple times a day just to keep me going and alive. All this with expenses and family life is causing life to be a bit overbearing. Sadly, I need help.

I know life is hard , anything you can donate will be sent directly to medical bills, prescription costs, and help to keep a roof over my family’s heads.

I spent most of my time at work creating magic for all those who entered any tiki bar I worked at. I hope now the world can create some magic for my family.

I love you all. And will never stop fighting