Kelli Needs a New Heart

Let us introduce you to our best friend Kelli. Kelli is a beautiful, vibrant, kind, incredible human being who also happens to be the most giving person we know. She’s a loving daughter who has fought to raise her children independently and has worked incessantly throughout her life to overcome adversity and grow a successful, independent business while also sometimes losing money making us feel beautiful for free She is the light in every room; she makes us laugh constantly. We are so lucky to have her in our lives.

Kelli was born with a heart defect (transposition of the great vessels) and had her first open heart surgery at only 8 months old. After decades of life-saving measures, she received a pacemaker in 2015, which has helped her get by until last week.

She is now in the brass ring of a fight she’s been preparing for her whole life. Last Monday she went into Acute Decompensated Heart Failure and was rushed to UCLA Medical Center. Today the Transplant Board has decided that having exhausted all medical options to treat her failing heart - she will stay here until she receives a full heart transplant.

Julie and I are her hospital and post-transplant caregivers while Kelli’s mom does the invaluable job of taking care of her young son Jacob.

As you may or may not know, the wait for a heart can be months, recovery ❤️‍ can also take several months and during this time of approximately one year where she will not be able to work, all of us who love Kelli will have to become a family to help with the incredibly high costs of this procedure not covered by insurance:

Pre-transplant medication copays

Post-transplant housing near hospital (required to receive the heart)

Post-transplant medication (required to not reject the heart)

We are so grateful to welcome you into our little heart ❤️ family. Any stress we can take off of her and her family today and in the future will optimize her healing and prognosis. It is the best gift of all.