My name is Malinda and I am Paul Appelman’s wife. Paul is currently on the transplant list in Oklahoma; awaiting a new heart. I hope you will take a moment to read our story.
My husband is a loving, honest, amusing, honorable and humble man. He is a musician and has played drums and bass guitar in several Tulsa and surrounding area bands. He has had the great fortune of touring all across the United States over the years, including performances at Rocklahoma, SXSW, and Sturgis. He has always played very passionately and always worked hard at everything he’s done. He also loves hockey and enjoyed playing with his brothers-in-arms at the local men’s hockey league.
He is 33 years old and he is not physically able to play music or hockey anymore.
Our lives changed on August 29, 2014. Paul had just finished sound checking before one of his shows when he complained of chest pains and passed out. He travelled by life flight to St Francis hospital in Tulsa. He had suffered a heart attack. There was a 100% blockage in his left main artery; the widow-maker. He survived, barely. Just a few short weeks after his heart attack, he had 2 strokes. We got lucky with those. He just had left side weakness and still has nerve damage down his left arm and into his left hand. Late October gave us another blow; he was readmitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure. His heart medicine was not able to counteract the damage caused by the heart attack. In November, he was transported to Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. By the time we got to OKC, Paul’s heart was only working at 5%. It was evident that Paul’s heart would not function on its own. The staff in OKC worked aggressively on options to extend his life. They did not feel that he would survive long enough to have a heart transplant at that time, so they implanted a Left Ventricle Assist Device (LVAD) into his chest. This pump circulates the blood and takes over the job of his left ventricle. The LVAD is giving us time to wait for a heart.
Last year we went from a 2 income household to a 1 income household. I was on an unpaid leave of absence from November 25th to March 17th for Paul’s LVAD surgery and recovery. When Paul has his transplant, we will have to move to OKC for 3 months. I will be taking another unpaid leave of absence from work. We need help with financial expenses. We humbly ask you for this help if you are able. If not then please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you for your time in reading this and may God bless.
My husband is a loving, honest, amusing, honorable and humble man. He is a musician and has played drums and bass guitar in several Tulsa and surrounding area bands. He has had the great fortune of touring all across the United States over the years, including performances at Rocklahoma, SXSW, and Sturgis. He has always played very passionately and always worked hard at everything he’s done. He also loves hockey and enjoyed playing with his brothers-in-arms at the local men’s hockey league.
He is 33 years old and he is not physically able to play music or hockey anymore.
Our lives changed on August 29, 2014. Paul had just finished sound checking before one of his shows when he complained of chest pains and passed out. He travelled by life flight to St Francis hospital in Tulsa. He had suffered a heart attack. There was a 100% blockage in his left main artery; the widow-maker. He survived, barely. Just a few short weeks after his heart attack, he had 2 strokes. We got lucky with those. He just had left side weakness and still has nerve damage down his left arm and into his left hand. Late October gave us another blow; he was readmitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure. His heart medicine was not able to counteract the damage caused by the heart attack. In November, he was transported to Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. By the time we got to OKC, Paul’s heart was only working at 5%. It was evident that Paul’s heart would not function on its own. The staff in OKC worked aggressively on options to extend his life. They did not feel that he would survive long enough to have a heart transplant at that time, so they implanted a Left Ventricle Assist Device (LVAD) into his chest. This pump circulates the blood and takes over the job of his left ventricle. The LVAD is giving us time to wait for a heart.
Last year we went from a 2 income household to a 1 income household. I was on an unpaid leave of absence from November 25th to March 17th for Paul’s LVAD surgery and recovery. When Paul has his transplant, we will have to move to OKC for 3 months. I will be taking another unpaid leave of absence from work. We need help with financial expenses. We humbly ask you for this help if you are able. If not then please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you for your time in reading this and may God bless.