Support Nick Getz: Open Heart Surgery After Stroke

Hi everyone,

We are reaching out today with heavy hearts to ask support for Nick Getz. It’s been a rough medical journey for several months and Nick has now reached a critical point. Here is the story, written by his beautiful wife, Courtney.

On Tuesday, Nick will undergo open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve due to a dangerous infection called endocarditis—a condition that has also caused a stroke and multiple blood clots throughout his body.

Nick has known since he was young that he had a heart defect: he has a bicuspid valve and also has a PFO (a hole in his heart). For years, we were told it wasn’t a major concern. He had routine cardiology appointments, and though he began feeling unwell off and on starting in November, his heart checkups continued to reassure us that everything looked “normal.”

But it wasn’t normal. Over the past several months, Nick has battled:

    •    Ongoing infections

    •    Fevers, night sweats

    •    Numbness in his limbs and joints

    •    Dizziness, fatigue, nausea, coughing, and more

Every time he visited a doctor, he’d be prescribed antibiotics that would help—for a short while. Then the symptoms would return. We both had a feeling something deeper was wrong.

That became terrifyingly clear this past Monday, when Nick experienced a severe headache and blurred vision from 4am to 3pm. He thought it was another migraine. I was out of town and couldn’t be there to take him to the doctor, so I asked his aunt, Dar, to check on him. Thank God she did—she rushed him to Tyrone Hospital, where he was told he may have a serious infection and possibly had a stroke.

Nick was immediately transferred to Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, where after many tests, we finally got the devastating diagnosis: infective endocarditis. The infection had formed a pea-sized growth (called a vegetation) on his leaky aortic valve. That infection has likely been silently spreading in his body for months or even years, causing blood clots, one of which led to the stroke.

The stroke has affected Nick’s balance and vision, but we are thankful that he is showing progress—walking slowly with help and staying strong in spirit.

The next step is major: on Tuesday afternoon, Nick will undergo open heart surgery to completely remove the infected valve and replace it with a mechanical valve—one that will last him the rest of his life and prevent this from ever happening again.

This is a terrifying time for us. The surgery is serious, but absolutely necessary to save his life. The emotional toll is already immense—but so is the financial burden. Nick will be out of work for an extended period, and we are facing:

    •    Mounting hospital bills

    •    Costs for follow-up care, medications, and rehabilitation

    •    Travel and lodging expenses

    •    Loss of income during recovery

We are humbly asking for any help you can give—whether it’s through a donation, sharing this page, or sending your prayers. Every single bit of support means more than we can say.

Nick is a fighter. He’s a loving husband, a devoted friend, and someone who has always put others first. Now he needs us.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for lifting him up during this time.

With gratitude,

Courtney & Family