Help for Randy’s major heart surgery

September 13 was no ordinary day. Not only was it our 12 year anniversary, but also the day Randy noticed something was off. As he was finishing his workout he suddenly noticed tightness in his chest and shortness of breath. He stopped his workout and thought maybe he was pushing himself. A few days later he noticed that the shortness of breath had not gone away. In fact it was getting worse to the point where he could not walk up a flight of stairs. He immediately went to his cardiologist who had him admitted to the hospital for further tests. Randy was then transported to another hospital in Boston where many other tests were done. The doctors concluded that he had pulmonary hypertension (PH). This diagnosis was devastating due to the fact that this would lead to heart failure in a few years. The one thing that did not add up was the fact that his symptoms came on so quickly. People with PH normally are not diagnosed for years and symptoms don’t suddenly happen overnight.

For a short time his symptoms did get a little better but then he plateaued and got worse. We then went to another hospital in Boston which is a specialist in PH. After many more test and almost 1 week they came to the conclusion that the PH was a secondary condition. The main cause was a rupture in his aorta. Normally this would have caused his immediate death but thankfully he was bleeding back into his heart. Unfortunately due to the complexity of the procedure and other underlying issues with Randy’s heart the Drs in Boston would not be able to do the operation. We were then advised of a world-renowned Dr in Chicago who was willing to take on his complicated case. Randy and I were then taken via a medical jet from Boston to Chicago. He has successfully had 1 procedure where they had gone in by catherization to close the rupture in the aorta as best as they could so that the liver and kidneys could bounce back and start producing the enzymes to produce clotting factors in his blood for the next phase of his surgery two weeks later.

The 2nd surgery will be the most important, complex and dangerous. Without it he will not survive. We will be in Chicago for many months for his recovery. Understandably he will not be able to work at that time. My brother and sister in-law have lovingly volunteered for him to recover at their home, where I will be with him.

We have received an out pouring of love, prayers and texts from so many friends and family. It is truly overwhelming. Many have asked how they can help financially. Unfortunately we do not know the exact amount for all the expenses from 3 hospitals , 2 surgeries, medical flight and other expenses. Please if you are not able to contribute financially we completely understand. It would be heartbreaking if someone was contributing more than they could afford. But, if you are it would be greatly appreciated and needed. We continue to thank everyone for their love and support.