Help Apolo & His Family Through a Medical Crisis

Friends and family, I (Enoch) am asking for your support to help my dear friend Apolo, his wife Ember, and their beautiful 4-year-old daughter Runa. Wednesday (2/26), as the sun rose, Apolo, myself, and other men (Rob White & Jeremy Archer) in our community started the day as we do each week at the park, hosting our weekly men's workout. During the final exercise, Apolo mentioned to me that his heart didn't feel right, and during our cool-down jog, he had to stop and sit down. As we drove home, we spoke with our friend, who is a cardiologist, and he said that a trip to the ER was needed if his heart rate didn't normalize in the next 30 min. We went inside and woke up his wife and daughter, and things got worse immediately. The four of us rushed to the ER as his lips turned blue and tears ran down our faces. Apolo was rushed in, and fortunately, the team saved his life with medication. Apolo had experienced Tachycardia and would have died without immediate medical intervention. As Apolo stabilized, he and his wife Ember took a ride together in an ambulance to the main hospital, where Apolo received an Echocardiogram to assess the structure of his heart, which looked normal. On Thursday, Apolo underwent an electrophysiology (EP) study, which involves inserting a thin, flexible catheter into a blood vessel and guiding it to the heart to directly record the electrical activity in different areas, allowing them to pinpoint the origin of the abnormal heart rhythm. This test confirmed Ventricular Tachycardia, a life-threatening and life-altering diagnosis. In the coming days, Apolo will undergo a cardiac MRI and remain in the hospital for further testing and treatment that may entail surgery and medications.

Rob, Jeremy, and I are asking for your support for Apolo and his family. Apolo is the primary provider for his family as Ember homeschools Runa. Apolo owns and operates Apolo Massage Therapy and is a third-year, full-time graduate student to become a therapist. Supporting his family and his graduate school program has left his family without the financial security that can weather the costs of this type of shock. Apolo has health insurance; however, he and Ember are beginning to experience the rapidly escalating costs confronting them. They have a high deductible health plan that requires them to make big payments. A near future of further procedures is making it difficult to assess where the costs may end. Relying on self-employment means that Apolo has no medical leave and every day of missed work is a lost day of income. With a near-term future that will require a potentially long period of recovery, Apolo, Ember, and Runa face a very uncertain future.

Apolo is a family man, a healer, a community leader, a fitness enthusiast, and a friend to many people in our community. Please consider donating to support Apolo and his family during their time of need.

Warmly,

Enoch Nadler, Rob White, Jeremy Archer