Kara's Life Changing Heart Surgery
Donation protected
As many of you know, Kara Solsvig is my cousin and my lifelong best friend. She is one of the kindest and most caring people you could ever meet. She is the definition of a super mom and always puts her families needs first. What you might not know, is that Kara was born with a very rare condition called Tetralogy of Fallot or TOF, caused by a combination of four heart defects that are present at birth. It causes oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the heart and into the rest of the body. TOF can be life threatening if it is left untreated. Because of this, Kara had to have Open Heart Surgery when she was just 14 months old. Over the years, the leak from her heart has gotten worse.
Kara now struggles daily with shortness of breath, tiring easily during activities many of us have no trouble with, such as making her bed or carrying the groceries upstairs. Despite these limitations, Kara loves to exercise and hike, and she is determined to complete one more triathlon when this is all over. She continues to push herself everyday to be there for her 5 year old son.
Kara and her doctors have always monitored her leak, knowing she would need to replace her pulmonary valve at some point, but they had hoped it wouldn’t be for many more years. Unfortunately, during her most recent heart tests and MRI in October of 2020, her doctor decided it was time to replace her Pulmonary Valve.
Kara’s cardiologist sent all of her health records to a panel of 10 doctors in the lower 48, and together they decided she is a good candidate for the Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement (TPVR) procedure. TPVR is the process of inserting a catheter into the femoral artery. The catheter is guided to the pulmonary valve using advanced imaging where they then are able to place the compressed heart valve on the catheter and position it inside the prosthetic pulmonary valve. They expand the valve, securing it in place. If successful, her recovery time is 6-8 weeks and she can expect drastic improvements in breathing easier and her energy levels. This will vastly improve Kara’s quality of life.
This surgery is not available here in Alaska, so she is having her pulmonary valve replaced in Salt Lake City... tomorrow! (Wednesday the 24th)
We are very hopeful that this procedure will work, but if for some reason it is not successful, she will have to undergo open heart surgery for the second time in her life this coming Friday. (February 26th)
Kara needs our help now more than ever! She will have an abundance of unforeseen medical expenses, travel expenses, lodging expenses, etc. She will be unable to work during this time as well. I want to do everything I can to help lessen her financial burden so she can focus on healing and her family.
Please consider making a donation and sharing this campaign to help one of the most deserving people I know.
I will keep everyone updated on her progress and if/when she may need to undergo another open heart surgery.
Kara now struggles daily with shortness of breath, tiring easily during activities many of us have no trouble with, such as making her bed or carrying the groceries upstairs. Despite these limitations, Kara loves to exercise and hike, and she is determined to complete one more triathlon when this is all over. She continues to push herself everyday to be there for her 5 year old son.
Kara and her doctors have always monitored her leak, knowing she would need to replace her pulmonary valve at some point, but they had hoped it wouldn’t be for many more years. Unfortunately, during her most recent heart tests and MRI in October of 2020, her doctor decided it was time to replace her Pulmonary Valve.
Kara’s cardiologist sent all of her health records to a panel of 10 doctors in the lower 48, and together they decided she is a good candidate for the Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement (TPVR) procedure. TPVR is the process of inserting a catheter into the femoral artery. The catheter is guided to the pulmonary valve using advanced imaging where they then are able to place the compressed heart valve on the catheter and position it inside the prosthetic pulmonary valve. They expand the valve, securing it in place. If successful, her recovery time is 6-8 weeks and she can expect drastic improvements in breathing easier and her energy levels. This will vastly improve Kara’s quality of life.
This surgery is not available here in Alaska, so she is having her pulmonary valve replaced in Salt Lake City... tomorrow! (Wednesday the 24th)
We are very hopeful that this procedure will work, but if for some reason it is not successful, she will have to undergo open heart surgery for the second time in her life this coming Friday. (February 26th)
Kara needs our help now more than ever! She will have an abundance of unforeseen medical expenses, travel expenses, lodging expenses, etc. She will be unable to work during this time as well. I want to do everything I can to help lessen her financial burden so she can focus on healing and her family.
Please consider making a donation and sharing this campaign to help one of the most deserving people I know.
I will keep everyone updated on her progress and if/when she may need to undergo another open heart surgery.
Organizer and beneficiary
Katie Ralston
Organizer
Anchorage, AK
Kara Solsvig
Beneficiary