Keola’s Medical Expenses

My brother-in-law, Keola, was born with transposition of the great arteries (a rare condition in which the two main arteries leaving the heart are reversed) and a ventricular septal defect (an abnormal hole in the heart that forms between the heart’s lower pumping chambers). He under went surgery to fix both defects as a child but he now needs another surgery.

During the beginning of COVID, Keola was losing a lot of weight. He sought medical attention and although the doctors thought it was good that he was losing weight, it was unintentional which caused concern. He was ordered to do blood tests and the results came back as Endocarditis (an infection of the hearts inner linings, usually involving the valves) which led to doctors telling him to admit himself to the E.R. right away. They found that Keola had a leaking aortic valve and ordered an echo, MRI, and xrays that showed the infection in his blood was causing his heart to enlarge and the hole in his valve was getting bigger which was also affecting his legs causing inflammation. After spending several days in the hospital, Keola was released with a pik line in his arm so he could dose himself with antibiotics to help cure the endocarditis before undergoing surgery. Keola is scheduled for an aortic valve replacement in mid-July and will need to travel to San Francisco for this procedure. Although traveling during this time with the current pandemic, it is the best option for Keola to get the care he needs. 

Medical expenses have already begun adding up and we hope you can help to provide financial support to Keola and his family during this time. We understand that everyone is going through their own difficulties with the current pandemic and are thankful for any support you may be able to provide including keeping Keola andhis family in your prayers.