Ct's Open Heart Surgery
Donation protected
Sometimes... we get sudden surprises in our lives. Crazy situations that seem to be so random that the only response that can really sum up your feelings is,
"WHAT?!?!"
This is one of those moments.
If you know Ct. You know he is strong, fun and extremely outgoing. He seems to always be on a skateboard, snowboard or a motorcycle or driving a cool car. His hobbies span a wide gamut and he is considered an amazing friend to many people.
Last Sunday he thought that he had gotten pneumonia and woke up that morning having a difficult time breathing. When he realized that he would have to wait until noon to get into urgent care he decided to go to the ER. By the time he got to the ER his oxygen levels were at 80%. (very very low)
This is what I've learned today...
The reason why Ct had gotten such bad pneumonia so quickly was because he ruptured his mitral valve cordae tendonae. It tore away from his heart wall. He was probably born with a bad valve but the rupture happened this past weekend.
um.....
Donna explained it to me like this:
The mitral valve is located between the left atrium and left ventricle in the heart. It is normally a passive one-way valve that allows blood that just got oxygenated (via the pulmonary artery) to flow into the left ventricle and then to the rest of the body.
One of the supporting structures of CT's valve tore away from the heart wall. This then caused the blood to flow backwards and cause fluid to build up in his lungs which is why he thought it was pneumonia.
This is something that must be repaired because it is incompatible with life.
He is having heart surgery to fix the tendon tomorrow at 7:30am (Jan 2) The surgery time is 4 hours. Its crazy...like removing ribs and moving lungs crazy.
Afterwards he will have a full month of recovery time.
Currently, he is doing well. A little bored in the hospital but in really great spirits. If you talk to him about the surgery he is so casual about it you would think he thinks he is getting his teeth cleaned. I only realized how serious his surgery was by speaking to other people about it. Granted...this is a common routine surgery but it doesn't make it less scary when it is someone you love.
Or less expensive. :)
One of my favorite things about Minnesotans is their nature to reach out and help each other when they need it. We knew right away that people would want to help him get thru this time and help with the dent of these bills. We created this fundraiser page to help our friend get thru a difficult and unexpected time. There are many people who are going to want to help him and anything helps.
Thank you so much.
Sincerely,
The Friends and Family of Ct Thomas.
"WHAT?!?!"
This is one of those moments.
If you know Ct. You know he is strong, fun and extremely outgoing. He seems to always be on a skateboard, snowboard or a motorcycle or driving a cool car. His hobbies span a wide gamut and he is considered an amazing friend to many people.
Last Sunday he thought that he had gotten pneumonia and woke up that morning having a difficult time breathing. When he realized that he would have to wait until noon to get into urgent care he decided to go to the ER. By the time he got to the ER his oxygen levels were at 80%. (very very low)
This is what I've learned today...
The reason why Ct had gotten such bad pneumonia so quickly was because he ruptured his mitral valve cordae tendonae. It tore away from his heart wall. He was probably born with a bad valve but the rupture happened this past weekend.
um.....
Donna explained it to me like this:
The mitral valve is located between the left atrium and left ventricle in the heart. It is normally a passive one-way valve that allows blood that just got oxygenated (via the pulmonary artery) to flow into the left ventricle and then to the rest of the body.
One of the supporting structures of CT's valve tore away from the heart wall. This then caused the blood to flow backwards and cause fluid to build up in his lungs which is why he thought it was pneumonia.
This is something that must be repaired because it is incompatible with life.
He is having heart surgery to fix the tendon tomorrow at 7:30am (Jan 2) The surgery time is 4 hours. Its crazy...like removing ribs and moving lungs crazy.
Afterwards he will have a full month of recovery time.
Currently, he is doing well. A little bored in the hospital but in really great spirits. If you talk to him about the surgery he is so casual about it you would think he thinks he is getting his teeth cleaned. I only realized how serious his surgery was by speaking to other people about it. Granted...this is a common routine surgery but it doesn't make it less scary when it is someone you love.
Or less expensive. :)
One of my favorite things about Minnesotans is their nature to reach out and help each other when they need it. We knew right away that people would want to help him get thru this time and help with the dent of these bills. We created this fundraiser page to help our friend get thru a difficult and unexpected time. There are many people who are going to want to help him and anything helps.
Thank you so much.
Sincerely,
The Friends and Family of Ct Thomas.
Organizer
Amie Jean
Organizer
Minneapolis, MN
