Help Jerry Start A New Life
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Hello everyone, I’m fundraising for my dad, Jerry Harness, and for our family expenses while he’s in the hospital and after he gets his new heart. I’m sure you’ve landed on this page because you’ve heard my dad’s story but if you haven’t, here it goes.
On Thursday, April 6th, I took my dad to a doctors appointment because he was having trouble breathing. I thought that maybe it was Covid, he thought that he had Bronchitis based on past history. His doctor ran an EKG after hearing an odd heartbeat and then sent us on to the ER.
Two days later we found out that my dad has such significant blockages in his arteries that there was no kind of surgery at that hospital that could be done. Bypass and stenting were not safe options. The next day they transferred him to Spectrum Health, one of the three hospitals in Michigan capable of heart transplants and implanting ventricular assist devices (LVAD).
The next few weeks were a rollercoaster of trying to figure out what could be done to save my dad after we found out his heart couldn’t be saved. They determined that he has Premature Coronary Artery Disease, which can be genetic. My grandpa had his first heart attack at 32 and only lived to be 64, so this is a family problem. Thankfully, we have a team of incredible doctors, coordinators, surgeons and nurses who have worked nonstop to find a solution for him at Spectrum Health. As a family, we started the process with the entire LVAD and heart transplant team on whether he would be a good candidate. Over the course of a couple of weeks, we talked to what seemed like every type of doctor to vet his physical, mental and social health to determine his potential success pre and post-surgery.
As of Friday, April 28th, my dad was listed as a Status 2 for heart transplant and will wait in the hospital for a new heart so he can be monitored and given the best care. The day before he received a surgery to implant a ballon pump (IABP) that helps pump blood to his aorta and supply blood to the rest of his body. While he waits for a heart, this surgery could happen several times as those IABPs fail after a certain period of time.
So, how is he doing with all of this news? Despite all that’s happened, he’s in good spirits and he’s trusting his path forward. We all believe he will carry through because of how much physical and mental resolve he has. It’s truly an inspiration that someone with only 10% of their heart working, spends so much time helping others without ever stopping to rest.
I love my dad. He’s always been a shining light and a rock in my life. Always steady, ready to do anything for me and for others in his life. I’m hoping that this funding will go towards him continuing to live his life in the same way during his hospital stay and once he is able to come home. It’s a long recovery and many life changes need to be made, especially in the few months post transplant surgery.
Here are some of the things I would love to have your support on:
- Many of you know that my dad is one of the best drummers around. The doctors have given permission for an electric drumset to be brought into his hospital room to help keep him strong and recover from surgeries before the transplant surgery. We are hoping to get this for him as soon as possible.
- Post-surgery, he will be on anywhere from 40-50 medications per day, including immunosuppressants to help his body accept his new heart. While his insurance helps so much with this, it’s still a bigger monthly expense than any of us were ever planning on.
- He will be living with my fiancé and I after surgery until he’s healed and well enough to purchase his own home again. In the meantime, we can’t continue to pay the mortgage on his home, so we plan to sell it, probably at cost just to get it off our hands. It has fallen into such a state of disrepair over the past few years while my dad was slowly getting sicker without us ever guessing that his heart was the problem and the reason for his dwindling energy. We need to put all of his furniture, vehicles and motorcycles into monthly storage until he’s ready to go out on his own again.
Thank you for your support. I will continue to provide updates on his journey here.
Co-organizers (2)
Angela Harness
Organizer
Kalamazoo, MI
Logan Bishop
Co-organizer