Heart to Heart for Martin Grigorian

Hello Everyone,

           My name is Lili and I am organizing a fundraiser for my dear uncle Martin and his family, Luda, Lilytt and Armen. Martin has always been a very devoted husband, caring and loving father and a wonderful kind person. He has always lived a way of life to keep healthy, fit and active. As a secondary hobby his passion was soccer and he became a well-respected soccer referee.

           Last year he began to experience chest discomfort and breathing issues. This prompted Martin to see his PCP and a cardiologist. Both of the doctors attributed his symptoms to be anxiety related due to the pandemic. Assured that it is nothing serious, Martin went about his routine, day in and day out.

          Come August 24th, 2021, Martin collapsed in his home. Luckily my cousin Lilytt was home and sprung into a traumatic experience of performing CPR on her father.

         After arriving at the hospital the doctor notified his family Martin had suffered a major heart attack and his body had been deprived of oxygen for 40 minutes causing multiple organs to fail. If he did manage to return, he would have severe neurological issues. The doctor advised for family and friends to come and say their goodbyes. That night, friends and family filled the room confused as to how this happened.

          But, my uncle fought. He fought through the night. After being shocked back to life 12 times and maxing out on epinephrine to keep him alive, he fought. The doctors were amazed he had made it through the night and acknowledged they had never seen anything like this. Although he was still unconscious, it was nothing short of a miracle. As the doctors observed him fighting for life, they decided to give him the best chance to do so by transferring him to a larger hospital, one that is equipped with better technology to help sustain his fragile state.

          Uncle Martin was immediately transferred and placed on life support in addition to dialysis since the heart attack took a toll on the kidneys and cause them and the liver to fail. Martin fought and slowly regained consciousness. And to everyone's surprise, yet again nothing short of a miracle, he was able to respond to questions and passed the preliminary neurological tests. He started to communicate with my aunt using facial expressions. He remembered his wife, kids and had a recollection.

         This is just the start of his road to recovery. He endured multiple surgeries thereafter of which one involved implanting a heart pump to lessen the load on his heart to give it a chance to heal. The procedure is called "destination therapy" in which the pump is placed as a temporary solution until Martin's organs recover (at this point the kidneys, liver and lungs) for him to become a candidate for a heart transplant. But before then certain portion of the funds must be presented as insurance does little to nothing to cover the cost, an average of $1,300,000 in the US (based on estimations).

        Despite his great accomplishments, everyday remains to be a fight. After being shocked back to life 12 times, maxing out on epinephrine, being placed on life support, enduring multiple heart surgies, fighting infections including hospital acquired pneumonia, enduring stomach ulcers and a tracheotomy, uncle Martin is still fighting. He has been off life support for a month and a half, is able to stay awake and breathe on his own and his doctors are trying to taper down his dialysis slowly. Whatever his condition, uncle Martin manages to put a big smile on his face when he is with his wife and kids. My aunt Luda has been at his side for over two months now as he needs around the clock care and has not been able to return to work due to his ever-changing condition. She is a teacher's aid for kids with special needs. My cousins Lilytt and Armen are full-time college students. They are left broken by the situation as are friends and family.

            I ask anyone that is able to make a donation of any amount to please contribute to raise funds for uncle Martin and his family. The funds will go to support day to day expenses, monthly and hospital bills and more importantly, to contribute in the funding needed for a heart transplant. We pray for uncle Martin to recover quickly. He has fought all odds to be here. On behalf of uncle Martin and his family, we thank you for your time and donation.