Jess "Fish" Valtierra: Time for a new heart!

Hi, my name is Jen and Jessica is my sister. My family and I are fundraising for Jessica to help alleviate the financial burden of the extraordinary costs of a heart transplant. If you are a friend or family member, you most likely know Jessica “Fish” Valtierra as someone who, from a young age, excelled in soccer and track, became a competition-winning black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is an avid horseback rider. For the last 16years, she has been a caring and dedicated ICU and recovery nurse. In addition, she is a loving mother and wife to two beautiful young daughters, and her husband, Vince. Jess and Vince spend their free time enjoying an active lifestyle of various activities and adventures with their girls.

 

You may not know that she was born with a genetic heart condition that, unknown to her, became worse over time due to the physical exertion of her highly physical and active lifestyle. She did not become aware of any issues with her heart until her late teens/early 20s, when she began to show symptoms. She had her first cardiac arrest in 2006 at age 26 while hiking with her mom. Her mother was able to do CPR and saved her life. After this incident, doctors placed a defibrillator, and she was diagnosed with Idiopathic Cardiomyopathy, which means the heart does not pump the blood well. Shortly after receiving the defibrillator, she became a nurse and married Vince. A few years later, they decided to have children. Because her heart issue had no known cause, they did gene testing before the girls, but the results were inconclusive. Around 6 years ago, Jess started having more problems with her heart and could not be as active as she was used to. She had another genetic test which showed it was something called ARVC (Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy) – It’s what causes sudden cardiac death in some young, otherwise healthy athletes. The heart muscle stretches and is filled with adipose (fatty) tissue causing conduction issues and heart failure. Doctors told her that one day she might need a heart transplant. Jessica’s heart began to fail a couple of years ago and has progressed quickly.

 

Where are we at today? In Jessica’s words: “Now waiting for a heart transplant in frickin Utah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” She is currently admitted to a hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, 6 hours away from her family in the Boise area, until a heart becomes available. It could be months. After receiving a heart, it will be at least 6 months before she can go home due to the frequent and extensive follow-up care. She will need care providers to help her during the long recovery.

 

The increased financial pressure and resulting stress on the family is enormous. Jessica has not been able to work for the last year, Idaho does not have state disability and she has had to hire a lawyer to appeal a denial of federal disability.  There are already thousands of dollars of medical bills and more to come. Besides high medical costs, expenses include housing and related expenses for two households, travel costs for family visits and care providers when she is released from the hospital, and childcare. This fundraiser is to help alleviate this financial pressure. Instead of being worried and anxious about how they will pay for everything, Jess, Vince, the girls and her family can be supported as they navigate this transplant journey and focus on the quality of their time together. ***If you choose to donate, you don't have to tip Go Fund Me, you can set the tip to $0.*****