Helping to Heal Dave Hillman

I am not sure what has brought you here, but I would like to thank you for visiting this page. My name is Ted Hillman, and I have started this Go Fund Me campaign on behalf of my father, David Hillman, who has encountered a series of unforeseen expenses related to a medical condition he was recently diagnosed with. 



Before I continue, I would like to encourage those who have the time, please click here to read a brief story about my dad in order to get a bit of background information that will help you fully understand what type of person he is, and why we feel he is deserving of your support. 





During the months of March and April 2019, my dad wasn't feeling like himself. He mentioned to us that he felt very lethargic and was also experiencing on and off chest discomfort. There were also several nights that he woke up in a pool of sweat, but since my dad and my entire family recently recovered from having a serious case of the flu, he assumed that what he was experiencing was his flu symptoms returning. 



On the morning of April 11, 2019, my dad woke up from a full nights rest, but was feeling an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. I recall him telling me that he could not wait for the day to be over so he could go back to sleep again. But my dad, being the man that he is, did not want to disappoint his 3 customers that were expecting him that day. So he got dressed, grabbed the materials that he needed, and went on his way. 



While my dad was performing cleaning services for his first customer, he started to feel much more than just exhaustion. With each minute that went by, he started feeling progressively worse, and he had a clear inclination that something didn't feel right. 



He called my mom and explained how he was feeling, and she in turn called me in order to ask for my opinion. Knowing that my dad did not have health insurance at the time, she wanted to know if I thought it would be better to take him to an urgent care, or take him directly to the emergency room. Knowing my dad very well, I understand that he generally is not one to complain, and  I felt strongly that if he is at the point where he is vocalizing that he doesn't feel well, then this is likely a serious matter, and I encouraged her to take him directly to the ER to be seen by a doctor. I assured her that we would figure out how we would pay for this expense together, as a family, but reiterated that she needed to take him to the ER right away. 



The ER Visit

I met my parents at the ER, and the medical staff there conducted a series of tests, x-rays, and administered him several different medications. The doctor then, very calmly, came in and informed us that were able to determine by the enzymes present in my dads blood that he had experienced multiple heart attacks, and was likely experiencing one when he came into the ER. 



The ER staff was able to stabilize my dad, but they explained they would need to conduct further diagnostic screenings in order to determine what exactly was going on. They recommended that he be transferred directly to Kaweah Delta Hospital in Visalia, CA in order to perform an angiogram, because this facility would have the capability to take him directly into surgery, if needed.



This decision that the Emergency Room staff made to rush my dad to Kaweah Delta via ambulance likely saved his life, as this angiogram procedure revealed that he had two severely blocked arteries, one at 100% and one at 85%. The cardiologist immediately performed surgery on my dad to attempt to clear out his arteries and put in two stents.

During this procedure, my dad recalls being able to hear the cardiologist say "I can't get through", suggesting that he was having trouble clearing my dad's artery that was 100% blocked. My dad, hearing all this transpire, couldn't help but wonder if those were the last words he would ever hear. 



My family was told that this procedure was only supposed to take 1 hour, so after being in the waiting room for over two hours, we all started to fear the worst. But we were eventually notified by the hospital staff that although my dads surgery took longer than expected, it was indeed successful. 



On the very next day, April 12th, while still recovering from his surgery, my dad was still having complications with his heart. For several days after the surgery, his heart was running at about 130-150 bpm when just lying still in his hospital bed. His heart monitor was constantly sounding off alarms to alert the nurses that his heart rate was too high, and the Kaweah Delta staff were experimenting with multiple different medications in order to control his heart rate/rhythm. 



After a few days, they were able to lower his heart rate by administering different medication. But since he was still experiencing heart flutters, this prompted his doctor to attempt another procedure where they would shock his heart with the hopes of correcting this, and this procedure also proved to be successful. It was around this time that my dad was officially diagnosed with congestive heart failure. 



Although my dad was initially told that he would be able to return to work within 2-3 days of his initial surgery, he remained in the hospital for over a weeks time, and was  luckily able to return home just in time for Easter. 



Our initial reluctance in asking for help

My father is not the type of person to ask for help. My family initially discussed creating a go fund me, but at the time decided not to, and we instead planned to just handle this matter internally within our family and navigate this difficult situation on our own. 



But after my dad's follow up appointment with his cardiologist on April 24th, he was provided the news that due to the intense physical labor that his job requires, he would not be able to return to work for another 3 months. This was a shock to my dad, my mom, and the rest of our family. My family has all come together during this time to help in any way that we can, but we are quickly depleating our funds and resources to pay for these expenses and all other expenses associated with my dad being self employed and not being able to generate income. 



What the money would be used for

My father applied for emergency medi-cal coverage, and he was told that he was provisionally approved for temporary coverage starting on April 12th through the end of May. This was a surprise to all of us that he was approved, because according to the guidelines, we did not think that him and my mom met the criteria to be eligible. We are still attempting to validate if his expenses will indeed be covered from April 12th through the end of May. 



In the event that my father is granted this emergency medical coverage beginning April 12th, it still would not cover the series of emergency expenses he incurred on his first day in the hospital (April 11th), which would include the ER visit, chest x-ray, EKG, ambulance ride, angiogram/angioplasty, heart monitors, medication, etc. According to our research, the angioplasty procedure itself could likely exceed $100,000. 



Because my father is self employed, and my mother is no longer able to work due to her own medical ailments, this series of events has created a situation in which it is hard to even pay the basic expenses that they incur on a monthly basis. Some of these funds would be used to ensure that they are able to satisfy their basic needs while my father is slowly recuperating to return to work in August. 



Conclusion

My dad is not one to ask for assistance or help, even if he is in dire need of it. He is a very prideful person, and if I wouldn’t have started this Go Fund Me campaign, it likely would not have happened.

 

Anything that you could donate to this campaign would be greatly appreciated. If you are not in a position to donate to this cause, we completely understand, as these are difficult times for everyone. We just respectfully ask that you keep our family in your prayers, and please share this Go Fund Me page with anyone else that may know my dad, his children, or his grandchildren.



Thank you for your support, 



Ted Hillman