Jeremiah’s Emergency Heart Fund
Donation protected
Hello, this is my nephew Jeremiah.
Jeremiah is a pretty cool, 11 year old kid that lives in Brooklyn. At the age of 2, he was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy (HOCM).
This super fun loving, comedic boy enjoys building Lego’s, playing Minecraft, reading National Geographic Magazines and spending time with his family and friends. My nephew told me “All I want to do is be a normal kid and run and jump”.
His condition was discovered after having an abnormal heart rate during an emergency hospitalization stay for pneumonia. His parents have been taking him to get monitored semi annually and has been on daily beta-blockers.
Thankfully, for the past 8 years Jeremiah was active, swimming, golfing, riding his bike, enjoying his scooter and playing with his friends. Last year, Jeremiah began having trouble walking to school. He needed to stop and catch his breath every half block. As the school year progressed, he began having significant chest pains when he walked and needed to stop every quarter block, until it became every few steps where he would grasp at this chest. He was immediately taken to see the cardiologist. His parents were informed, that since Jeremiah had a growth spurt it most likely triggered a major change in his heart condition. This summer, Jeremiah had an emergency cardiac catheterization where they found 2 obstructions in his heart causing pulmonary hypertension.
Jeremiah will need open heart surgery consisting of a septal myectomy (an open-heart procedure in which the surgeon removes part of the thickened, overgrown part of the heart between the ventricles. Removing part of this overgrown muscle improves blood flow and reduces mitral regurgitation, which will allow blood to flow backwards into the heart and alleviate the symptoms of breathlessness and fatigue. Septal myectomy is available only in medical centers that specialize in the treatment of HCM.) Due to the severity of his condition, it is possible that Jeremiah might also need a mechanical valve; less than 5% of people with this condition have this procedure done. If Jeremiah’s valve is replaced this will cause additional lifelong medical complications.
Jeremiah is only 11 years old and will have a long recovery process. Jeremiah’s surgery is scheduled for Friday, November 14, 2014 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
I am setting up this fund to provide assistance for my nephew and his family during this very difficult time. As Jeremiah will need surgery in another state, and several follow up visits in Rochester, Minnesota. Monies will be used for land and airfare transportation, food and lodging, medical visits and consultations, medications.
Thanks to all in advance for your generous donations. Any assistance is greatly appreciated by the family.
For more information on HOCM visit this link *Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic disorder that has a variable presentation and carries a high incidence of sudden death.
Jeremiah is a pretty cool, 11 year old kid that lives in Brooklyn. At the age of 2, he was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy (HOCM).
This super fun loving, comedic boy enjoys building Lego’s, playing Minecraft, reading National Geographic Magazines and spending time with his family and friends. My nephew told me “All I want to do is be a normal kid and run and jump”.
His condition was discovered after having an abnormal heart rate during an emergency hospitalization stay for pneumonia. His parents have been taking him to get monitored semi annually and has been on daily beta-blockers.
Thankfully, for the past 8 years Jeremiah was active, swimming, golfing, riding his bike, enjoying his scooter and playing with his friends. Last year, Jeremiah began having trouble walking to school. He needed to stop and catch his breath every half block. As the school year progressed, he began having significant chest pains when he walked and needed to stop every quarter block, until it became every few steps where he would grasp at this chest. He was immediately taken to see the cardiologist. His parents were informed, that since Jeremiah had a growth spurt it most likely triggered a major change in his heart condition. This summer, Jeremiah had an emergency cardiac catheterization where they found 2 obstructions in his heart causing pulmonary hypertension.
Jeremiah will need open heart surgery consisting of a septal myectomy (an open-heart procedure in which the surgeon removes part of the thickened, overgrown part of the heart between the ventricles. Removing part of this overgrown muscle improves blood flow and reduces mitral regurgitation, which will allow blood to flow backwards into the heart and alleviate the symptoms of breathlessness and fatigue. Septal myectomy is available only in medical centers that specialize in the treatment of HCM.) Due to the severity of his condition, it is possible that Jeremiah might also need a mechanical valve; less than 5% of people with this condition have this procedure done. If Jeremiah’s valve is replaced this will cause additional lifelong medical complications.
Jeremiah is only 11 years old and will have a long recovery process. Jeremiah’s surgery is scheduled for Friday, November 14, 2014 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
I am setting up this fund to provide assistance for my nephew and his family during this very difficult time. As Jeremiah will need surgery in another state, and several follow up visits in Rochester, Minnesota. Monies will be used for land and airfare transportation, food and lodging, medical visits and consultations, medications.
Thanks to all in advance for your generous donations. Any assistance is greatly appreciated by the family.
For more information on HOCM visit this link *Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic disorder that has a variable presentation and carries a high incidence of sudden death.
Organizer
Diana Didi Torres
Organizer
Rego Park, NY
