Help Richard Rebuild His Heart and Life

My name is Condra Ridley. Over the course of our 34 years of marriage, my husband, Richard Ridley III, has been one of the hardest working men I know.  Since he was 12 years old, he has been developing his skill as a residential and commercial carpet and flooring contractor. In that profession he’s delivered excellent flooring services throughout Fort Wayne and Northeast Indiana.  And that despite pain from sciatica, hernia, degenerative disc disease and left and right hip replacements. Through it all, Richard has worked faithfully all these years to support our five daughters and me. 

 

In September 2020, Richard tore his left rotator cuff and snapped his left bicep. An emergency surgery repaired these additional physical setbacks.  During recovery, his doctor discovered that Richard had an aortic aneurysm, resulting from years of straining and heavy lifting. This required another emergency surgery to replace his aortic root and valve and do a bypass. The delicate surgery took eight hours. But with faith, love and prayers, Richard recovered amazingly.  In less than four months, following rehab, he actually started working again.

 

Fast forward to September 16, 2021. In a follow up visit with his primary care doctor, who was looking over records from an August 29-31 emergency hospital stay caused by crippling back pain, the doctor ordered Richard to go immediately to the hospital emergency room. Intravenous antibiotics were started right away! 

 

The doctor discovered an infection that had appeared in a blood test three weeks earlier. It had not been acknowledged or treated.  After two days of steady antibiotics, the cardiologist announced the unthinkable: the aortic root and valve were so terribly infected that the entire open-heart surgery, done in December, would need to be redone immediately or he would die! 

 

Shocked and devastated at the prognosis, there was no time to waste.  Richard prepared his mind and spirit for a second open-heart surgery. Again, his rib cage would be cracked open from top to bottom to remove all of the poisonous tissue. It would be replaced with a human cadaver aortic valve and root. A vein from his left thigh would have to be removed and used to redo the bypass.  It was a life-or-death surgery that took two cardiac surgeons and their support staff 15 hours to complete.  When the doctor said that he was happy to report that the surgery had been successful, I knew we had received the miracle we had prayed for.

 

When Richard came out from under the anesthesia that had kept his body functioning during the critical surgery and was disconnected from the ventilator, we recognized the greatest blessing was that he was still alive, and his brain was intact.  Thank God!!! 

 

The infection did cause major damage to Richard’s heart. He would be required to have a pacemaker for the rest of his life.  Two days later, that surgery was done successfully.  Then, because he was experiencing blood flow issues in the lower chambers of the heart (atrial fibrillation), he was put on blood thinners for life. 

 

Richard went from a healthy heart with a replaced aortic root and valve to an impaired heart that requires a pacemaker and blood thinners to function properly.  He cannot risk cuts, bruises, heavy lifting or infection of any sort.  He can no longer work his flooring contracting business. 50 years of gaining the skill, knowledge, and proficiency to be gainfully independent were gone.  Months later, Richard is still in recovery from all the trauma his body has endured through the two heart surgeries and the challenges associated with the state of his new heart.  After going through 30 consecutive days of antibiotic infusions following his release from the hospital, Richard is still in line for ongoing treatments regarding blood thinners, rehabilitation and infection control.

 

Hospital and doctor bills for the three major surgeries between September 2020 and September 2021 exceed a million dollars.  Insurance will cover some of the expenses but the co-pays along with the complete loss of income have put us in a dire situation. Our monthly deficit since September has been $1400. Current medical bills are $17,000, and they are still coming in. We don’t know yet what the insurance will not cover. What we do know is that we need your help.

 

Humbly, we ask for your support, grace, mercy and contributions as Richard rebuilds his heart, overall good health, and we find new ways to sustain our life together.  Any assistance that you can lend will help with these critical needs.

  

Please support us by sharing this fundraiser with other family members, friends, and your social media contacts.  We thank you wholeheartedly for your kindness.

 

 

Love and gratitude,

 

Condra