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Update: Jess received the gift on a new heart on May 6th. She only waited 8 weeks! This is quite the miracle since finding a match with her complex set of antibodies was quite the challenge. She is doing very well. Her medical team continues to be amazed at her progress.
Jess and her family are living in Anaheim, CA for the next year to be close to medical care. Jess is spending her days being a full-time mom to 4 kiddos and being as physically active as possible. She enjoys walking a couple miles every morning and is just amazed at how much better she feels with her new heart. Aren, her husband, is working remotely for the same company he was employed with in Indiana. This is all an exiting adventure for them but the cost of living in CA is quite expensive. Any support given will be used to help with living costs. Thank you!!
Hello! We are so grateful you are taking the time to check out our Go Fund Me page. To put it point blank, Jessica's heart is failing. We recently learned Cedars Sinai in California is the only place in the country able to help her. We are raising funds to help with the financial costs of a heart transplant and absolutely necessary relocation to Los Angeles. Moving a family of 6 to live in LA for up to a year will have its challenges. While LA is beautiful and temperate, the cost of living is high.
The last 8 years with Jessica's heart have been quite a journey. There have been many ups and downs. For the complete story you can go here https://www.facebook.com/groups/199545881920923 but for now you can find the most recent news here.
In July of 2020, Jessica began to have increasingly more issues with her heart. She had lots of rhythm issues and began to have other symptoms, like fluid retention and fatigue. Her cardiologist in Fort Wayne referred her to the heart failure clinic. The term "heart failure" being associated with Jess was surprising. As the next couple months went by she continued to have issues which landed her at Cleveland Clinic in December. It was there that she learned just how sick her heart had become. It was explained that because she is young and in good health overall, her body had been doing well at compensating so she didn't feel or look as bad as things actually were inside. This was a hard reality to come face to face with. The consideration of a heart transplant or LVAD (heart pump) was discussed. Jess ended up going home with medication with hopes it would strengthen her heart. Unfortunately, her body didn't tolerate the medication very well and she ended up once again back at Cleveland Clinic in February. A heart transplant was back on the table which sounds like a great fix but we learned she had a unique challenge to overcome. Her antibodies were very high and would react to a new heart as a threat, ultimately attacking it. Cleveland Clinic was no longer a possibility for a transplant. This was devastating news to say the least. They soon referred Jess to Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. The doctors in Cleveland were very realistic with her and our entire family. They wanted us to know it was quite likely that Cedars Sinai may not be able to help either. Her blood was sent to Cedars Sinai and we waited 2 weeks for an answer. Waiting was so hard! We were hoping so much for the door to open in LA but had to surrender to the fact that it may not happen all the while holding onto faith that it would. It challenged us to truly trust God's goodness whatever the outcome. So many people were praying with and carrying Jess through this and for that we are grateful. On Monday, March 8, Jessica and our entire family received the best news! Cedars Sinai thought they could help. After being in Cleveland for five long and hard weeks, she was discharged with a scheduled appointment at Cedars Sinai.
Jess and Aren made the trip to LA and had a fantastic appointment with the head doctor. Sitting down with Dr. Kobashigawa, the expert and chief medical director of the program, was beyond helpful. He was confident they could help her! It felt like a breath of fresh air and was undoubtedly the most hopeful news we have had in months. Jessica then did all the pre-transplant steps and will return at the beginning of April to begin the treatment plan.
This is where your help comes in! After transplant Jess, Aren and their four children will need to stay in the LA area for up to 1 year. Funds would be put towards travel and housing and we are estimating about $5,000/month. Many details are yet to be worked out but we trust that each step will continue to be illuminated as it has thus far. Our great hope is for this process to be as seamless and successful as possible for Jess, Aren, and and the children. Thank you is the least we can say but we'll say it anyway, Thank you! Thank you for partnering with us as we step into this next chapter of Jess's journey.
Jess and her family are living in Anaheim, CA for the next year to be close to medical care. Jess is spending her days being a full-time mom to 4 kiddos and being as physically active as possible. She enjoys walking a couple miles every morning and is just amazed at how much better she feels with her new heart. Aren, her husband, is working remotely for the same company he was employed with in Indiana. This is all an exiting adventure for them but the cost of living in CA is quite expensive. Any support given will be used to help with living costs. Thank you!!
Hello! We are so grateful you are taking the time to check out our Go Fund Me page. To put it point blank, Jessica's heart is failing. We recently learned Cedars Sinai in California is the only place in the country able to help her. We are raising funds to help with the financial costs of a heart transplant and absolutely necessary relocation to Los Angeles. Moving a family of 6 to live in LA for up to a year will have its challenges. While LA is beautiful and temperate, the cost of living is high.
The last 8 years with Jessica's heart have been quite a journey. There have been many ups and downs. For the complete story you can go here https://www.facebook.com/groups/199545881920923 but for now you can find the most recent news here.
In July of 2020, Jessica began to have increasingly more issues with her heart. She had lots of rhythm issues and began to have other symptoms, like fluid retention and fatigue. Her cardiologist in Fort Wayne referred her to the heart failure clinic. The term "heart failure" being associated with Jess was surprising. As the next couple months went by she continued to have issues which landed her at Cleveland Clinic in December. It was there that she learned just how sick her heart had become. It was explained that because she is young and in good health overall, her body had been doing well at compensating so she didn't feel or look as bad as things actually were inside. This was a hard reality to come face to face with. The consideration of a heart transplant or LVAD (heart pump) was discussed. Jess ended up going home with medication with hopes it would strengthen her heart. Unfortunately, her body didn't tolerate the medication very well and she ended up once again back at Cleveland Clinic in February. A heart transplant was back on the table which sounds like a great fix but we learned she had a unique challenge to overcome. Her antibodies were very high and would react to a new heart as a threat, ultimately attacking it. Cleveland Clinic was no longer a possibility for a transplant. This was devastating news to say the least. They soon referred Jess to Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. The doctors in Cleveland were very realistic with her and our entire family. They wanted us to know it was quite likely that Cedars Sinai may not be able to help either. Her blood was sent to Cedars Sinai and we waited 2 weeks for an answer. Waiting was so hard! We were hoping so much for the door to open in LA but had to surrender to the fact that it may not happen all the while holding onto faith that it would. It challenged us to truly trust God's goodness whatever the outcome. So many people were praying with and carrying Jess through this and for that we are grateful. On Monday, March 8, Jessica and our entire family received the best news! Cedars Sinai thought they could help. After being in Cleveland for five long and hard weeks, she was discharged with a scheduled appointment at Cedars Sinai.
Jess and Aren made the trip to LA and had a fantastic appointment with the head doctor. Sitting down with Dr. Kobashigawa, the expert and chief medical director of the program, was beyond helpful. He was confident they could help her! It felt like a breath of fresh air and was undoubtedly the most hopeful news we have had in months. Jessica then did all the pre-transplant steps and will return at the beginning of April to begin the treatment plan.
This is where your help comes in! After transplant Jess, Aren and their four children will need to stay in the LA area for up to 1 year. Funds would be put towards travel and housing and we are estimating about $5,000/month. Many details are yet to be worked out but we trust that each step will continue to be illuminated as it has thus far. Our great hope is for this process to be as seamless and successful as possible for Jess, Aren, and and the children. Thank you is the least we can say but we'll say it anyway, Thank you! Thank you for partnering with us as we step into this next chapter of Jess's journey.
Organizer and beneficiary
Jessica Hansen
Beneficiary