Help Mac complete his move closer to medical care

Mac’s in trouble. That’s the short of it.

I’ve been trying to reach out about this for some time, and just couldn’t find the words. Still working on that. But the time to act is now. So here goes.

Some of you may remember me as the guy with the head lamp in the steampunk episode of Portlandia, or the maker of leather and brass steampunk goggles at fairs and festivals and conventions all across the Pacific Northwest.

Some might recall me as the maker who built goggles for Kylie Jenner in a desert photoshoot for Teen Vogue, or for Adam Lambert when he appeared on Glee. Some of you may know me as a custom leather worker making archery racks or arrow quivers. Others may know me as the trumpet player for the dark cabaret trio Faerabella.

Here’s what has been happening behind the scenes.

In 2018 I had a major epicardial ablation for ventricular tachycardia. (Rapid heart rate that can kill). I was nine hours on the table and ended up in ICU at UCSF Medical center. They were able to eliminate some of the more dangerous rhythms but I had quite a bit of Vtach still happening.

Fast forward to 2021. I had gone into severe heart failure and my ejection fraction was at 10-15 percent. I had to stage a couple of times to get from the house to my car on the street. My cardiologist referred me to Providence St Vincent in Portland for possible heart transplant.

I got on the transplant list, but in the mean time the heart failure team installed an advanced biventricular pacing device that immediately improved my EF to 40-45 percent and I began to recover. The team decided to take me off the transplant list because I had responded so well to the device therapy. I am forever grateful to that team for having my back and literally giving me my life back. I’m still making, doing, and enjoying thanks to them.

But all of this came at a pretty high $$ cost. I have done my best to keep up with co-payments and the ancillary expenses. I have a small pension and Social Security, and supplement with my leather work. And lately the work has dropped off severely.

I’ve been advised to move closer to my medical team. At the same time, I have decided to downsize, get out of the family home where I raised my kids— Melissa, Briar and Sylvie, and move into smaller quarters at the home of Melissa and her wife Deanna in Portland.

Meanwhile the family home in Salem is nearly into foreclosure and I am struggling to meet the expenses of living, keep the foreclosure at bay, and buy enough time to sell the home and complete my move. It’s really hard for me to get up the courage to ask, but if you can, please help.