Kimberly's Journey to Heart Transplant

  This fundraiser is being created to support Kimberly and her family now that she has finally been listed on the heart transplant list. From a young age Kimberly was determined to help others and make a difference in her community and had set her mind to study and become a pediatrician. After graduating high school with honors she moved to St George, Utah to begin schooling at Dixie State University where she was starting somewhere new and was away from the comfort of her home. While living in Utah, Kimberly began working as a 911 dispatcher to help pay for her schooling and living arrangements. Everything was going well but her dream of becoming a pediatrician was derailed shortly after her 20th birthday after going to a doctor to seek help for constant trouble breathing and being dismissed. At just 20 years old she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure with a heart function of only 25%. Kimberly has since moved back to Las Vegas to be under the care and support of her family and has continued working as a 911 dispatcher. For the last 5 years Kimberly had been through several hospitalizations, surgeries and treatment to help her in day to day life. Now her condition has worsened and she has been placed on the heart transplant list to try and save her life.  

  At the end of May 2021, Kimberly was admitted to Loma Linda hospital in California where her transplant team treated her for pulmonary hypertension which was causing further strain to her heart. While in the hospital they performed a plethora of tests and while some were painful she was able to pull through and be released after a week of treatment with a picc line placed with a medication bag to treat her life threatening heart failure. Kimberly's heart function is now at 10% and doctors have decided to have her be readmitted to the hospital and have a machine placed into her heart via surgery to keep her on life support until a heart can be found to save her. 

  During this difficult time, Kimberly has not been able to fulfill her dream of going to medical school or to continue her work as a 911 dispatcher in Las Vegas where she is able to help her community by getting help out to callers and strengthening relationships with those who call in their time of need. Kimberly's mother has also not been able to work due to having to relocate for the time being to California to stay close to the hospital and to care for her daughter. During this trying time the family still must maintain their permanent residence and expenses in Las Vegas. Once in the hospital it is unknown how long the wait will be for a heart or how long certain treatments will be able to sustain her. Both Kimberly and her mother are not working in order to put their lives on hold and move all the way to California to stay close to her hospital to receive life saving treatment. Once she is blessed and receives a new heart she will have to continue to stay locally for possibly up to a year until she is healthy enough to return to her home in Las Vegas to finish her recovery and be under close monitoring. It is unknown how long the Gonzalez family will be split up between California and Las Vegas, but we do know it will be difficult with the expenses of living in a different state while also having to maintain your actual home in another. The cost of her medical expenses over this critical time will be substantial and anything helps Kimberly and her family.  Kimberly is a kind and caring person who helps others before helping herself. No matter what is going on, she has always been independent and has been a shoulder and rock for others during their low points thus being a light for her family and friends. Due to this illness she has lost her freedom and her 20s. With a heart transplant she will be able to try and recover the rest of her 20s and hopefully return to a normal life. This heart transplant will be a blessing yet a difficult process and her dreams of becoming a mother and having a large family naturally will no longer happen. After transplant it is impossible to be pregnant and it is yet another challenge thrown her way due to this illness. We thank you for taking the time to read this and for the financial support that will greatly benefit the Gonzalez family.