Jill's Heart Needs Your Help

Hello, my name is Dan Rossi, and Jill Rossi is my sister. I'm putting together this GoFundMe on Jill's behalf to help ease the burden of her rapidly mounting medical expenses, following some unexpected heart problems.

Some of you might know Jill for her passionate work in and around Bar Harbor, including child care at The YMCA in both Ellsworth and Bar Harbor, as well as Innkeeping for Bed & Breakfasts in Bar Harbor and Camden. Our family would often vacation in Bar Harbor when we were kids, and in 2012, she took the leap and moved out of our childhood home on Long Island, NY to pursue life in Maine. She quickly found work at several of the gift shops on Main Street, and after years of diligent work and creating paths to make life in Bar Harbor more than "seasonal," she found her footing as Innkeeper at several bed & breakfast properties, including the famous Bass Cottage & Ullikana. Jill's warm personality, as well as her enthusiasm to share the ins and outs of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, leave a lasting impression on the families that stay with her.

In late January 2025, Jill's smartwatch alerted her to an "irregular heartbeat." Thankfully, she heeded the notification and sought out a cardiologist. It wasn't long before they recognized that she was having frequent PVCs (premature ventricular contractions), leading to a series of more in-depth tests. So far, she has worn a 2-day Holter heart monitor, had an echocardiogram of her heart, and an outpatient TEE (transesophageal echocardiogram), which involved hospital sedation.

Jill's cardiologist confirmed she has a moderate to severe level of Mitral Valve Regurgitation, meaning the valve between the upper and lower left heart chamber doesn't close properly, causing the blood to flow backward into the previous chamber. While we're fortunate to have caught it early, if left untreated, the Mitral Valve Regurgitation can cause excess wear and tear on her heart muscle, leading to further complications.

Despite paying nearly $400/month for health insurance, the TEE alone is costing Jill $7,000 out of pocket.

After more diagnostic tests, including an MRI with special contrast, Jill will finally begin treatment. After her scheduled cardiac MRI down in Portland ME, there will be some sort of game plan in place. Her cardiologist wants to first address the PVCs through medication and other less invasive procedures that might correct the heart valve's malfunction. We're all hoping for her to avoid open-heart surgery, and while doctors have given the optimistic prognosis that these less invasive treatments might eliminate the PVCs and help the mitral valve, they have been careful to clarify that open-heart surgery is not "off the table" yet.

Jill's maximum medical out-of-pocket is $9,200/year, and she is rapidly approaching that mark before even receiving treatment.

Needless to say, this situation is very worrisome to our family. Financial assistance would put at least one worry behind Jill, so she might continue her treatments without costly bills looming over her head. Thank you for taking the time to read Jill's story!