Helping Michael Keep the (Heart) Beat
Donation protected
What do you call a musician with problems? A trebled man. Ba-Da-Boom! (Bad Joke - I know)
Many people know Michael Andrews as the drummer from Alyson Chains, a Houston based Alice in Chains tribute band that has played all sorts of venues large and small throughout Texas. Many people know Michael as the loving son who came back home to help out his mom, Carol after his dad passed away, as a brother, an uncle, a friend, a co-worker… all roles that solidify the type of person Michael is. It’s no wonder that Michael is such a good person, the Andrews family have always been the people you can depend on.
What you might not have known is that Michael was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 18 years old. Now 30 years later at only 48 years old Michael is facing a major heart surgery, and piles of medical bills coupled with missed income.
This past Tuesday August 13th Michael was experiencing shortness of breath that worried him enough to go to the emergency room to have it checked out. The tests that they ran showed elevated cardiac enzymes, which indicated Michael had suffered a heart attack. Blood-work came back showing his hgb (hemoglobin) level was down to 9 - the normal range for men is 13.5 to 17.5. They had to give him some blood thinners to prevent further heart attacks. The first dose was given that afternoon, and a second dose was given the following morning. That’s when his hgb dropped to 7. They had to stop the blood thinners and started running additional test, looking for internal bleeding.
An endoscopy and a colonoscopy didn’t find the source of the bleeding. He was given a blood transfusion which brought his hgb levels back up to 9. They also did an angiogram and echo-cardiogram to see what had caused the heart attack. They found that one artery was 90-95% blocked and found that Michael has aortic valve stenosis. Michael needs to have a bypass done on the blocked artery and a valve replacement. They had a meeting of a team of 6 doctors to decide on the best and least invasive course of treatment, concerned with the risk of bleeding since his hgb levels are so low. They also ran pulmonary function tests and diagnosed Michael with COPD in addition to everything else he has going on!
On Monday Aug 19th they decided they needed to move forward with the heart surgery and have scheduled him for the bypass and valve replacement procedures on Wednesday Aug 21st.
They’re still unsure of what is causing the low hgb levels and think he might be anemic and they’re putting him on iron to see if that improves his numbers. They’ve also run a CT scan and are waiting to find out what those results show.
Unfortunately, even with insurance Michael is facing a stack of medical related expenses, prescription costs that will be through the roof, and an extended period of being out of work. We thought we would set up this fund because his focus should be on his recuperation, not on worrying over the cost of getting well.
If you are able to, and would like to assist with the financial burden, any donation would be greatly appreciated. All funds will go directly to Michael’s medical costs, and towards the expenses he will have until he is able to return to work.
On behalf of Michael, Carol and the Andrews family thank you for the love, prayers, and support.
Many people know Michael Andrews as the drummer from Alyson Chains, a Houston based Alice in Chains tribute band that has played all sorts of venues large and small throughout Texas. Many people know Michael as the loving son who came back home to help out his mom, Carol after his dad passed away, as a brother, an uncle, a friend, a co-worker… all roles that solidify the type of person Michael is. It’s no wonder that Michael is such a good person, the Andrews family have always been the people you can depend on.
What you might not have known is that Michael was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 18 years old. Now 30 years later at only 48 years old Michael is facing a major heart surgery, and piles of medical bills coupled with missed income.
This past Tuesday August 13th Michael was experiencing shortness of breath that worried him enough to go to the emergency room to have it checked out. The tests that they ran showed elevated cardiac enzymes, which indicated Michael had suffered a heart attack. Blood-work came back showing his hgb (hemoglobin) level was down to 9 - the normal range for men is 13.5 to 17.5. They had to give him some blood thinners to prevent further heart attacks. The first dose was given that afternoon, and a second dose was given the following morning. That’s when his hgb dropped to 7. They had to stop the blood thinners and started running additional test, looking for internal bleeding.
An endoscopy and a colonoscopy didn’t find the source of the bleeding. He was given a blood transfusion which brought his hgb levels back up to 9. They also did an angiogram and echo-cardiogram to see what had caused the heart attack. They found that one artery was 90-95% blocked and found that Michael has aortic valve stenosis. Michael needs to have a bypass done on the blocked artery and a valve replacement. They had a meeting of a team of 6 doctors to decide on the best and least invasive course of treatment, concerned with the risk of bleeding since his hgb levels are so low. They also ran pulmonary function tests and diagnosed Michael with COPD in addition to everything else he has going on!
On Monday Aug 19th they decided they needed to move forward with the heart surgery and have scheduled him for the bypass and valve replacement procedures on Wednesday Aug 21st.
They’re still unsure of what is causing the low hgb levels and think he might be anemic and they’re putting him on iron to see if that improves his numbers. They’ve also run a CT scan and are waiting to find out what those results show.
Unfortunately, even with insurance Michael is facing a stack of medical related expenses, prescription costs that will be through the roof, and an extended period of being out of work. We thought we would set up this fund because his focus should be on his recuperation, not on worrying over the cost of getting well.
If you are able to, and would like to assist with the financial burden, any donation would be greatly appreciated. All funds will go directly to Michael’s medical costs, and towards the expenses he will have until he is able to return to work.
On behalf of Michael, Carol and the Andrews family thank you for the love, prayers, and support.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kay Mccray
Organizer
Clarksville, IN
Michael Andrews
Beneficiary