Help With Kenneth's Treatment and Recovery

My son, Kenneth McCoy, just turned 33 years old and he needs a new heart. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2015; he was just 26 years old at the time. His heart function was at 17 percent when they started his treatment. My son is not a complainer and doesn’t like people worrying over him. He continued to work, support his two children, and live life. As the community relations manager for a senior living facility, he was always on the go and physically active.

All that changed in mid-2019.

I remember he was devastated and in tears. He said he could no longer walk very far because of breathing issues and general weakness. He went to the hospital in order to find out why he was feeling general malaise so frequently. At the hospital he had general tests performed on him and found out that his heart wasn't functioning well due to a stroke that was caused by a blood clot in his brain. His heart function test came back at 13 percent; it dropped another 4 percent since his most recent test. Throughout 2019 and 2020 he suffered from edema and was admitted to the hospital from time to time in order to drain the buildup of fluid from his body. While he was being treated at the hospital, he suffered from another stroke which further damaged his heart.

This year after being admitted to the hospital multiple times within a period of six months, his doctors determined that his heart would soon stop functioning. His heart function was now down to just 10 percent. He was scheduled to see a heart specialist at the University of Washington in December of this year, but the local hospital determined that he needed urgent surgery and treatment to save his life.

On October 6, 2021, within a week of being transferred to the University of Washington, he had open heart surgery. A Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) was inserted into the left chamber of his heart along with a tube connected to his aorta in order to keep blood flowing throughout his body. After the surgery, he was placed at the cardiac division of the ICU and remains there to this day. Two days after the surgery, they had to perform shock treatment in order to treat his irregular heart rhythm problems which were caused by fluid retention all over his body (edema).

He is currently still at the ICU in order to be closely monitored for fluid buildup within his body. I am not really sure when he will be discharged from the hospital. Once he's home, he will need to have someone to tend to him 24/7. He will need to remain attached to the LVAD at all times to keep blood circulating throughout his body. His home will need to be equipped with a power generator to constantly supply the LVAD with electricity in the event the power goes out.

He will still be waiting for a heart transplant to be done at an indefinite date in the future.

He needs your help and support for his treatment and recovery. My family and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your support.