Lacey's Heart Surgery
Donation protected
My name is Lacey Sears. I'm a special needs teacher at Goldrick Elementary, a hard to serve school in south Denver. I specialize in children with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders, and formerly was a habilitation therapist for children with an autism spectrum disorder.
I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse when I was 9 years old, and I visit the cardiologist every couple of years for a checkup. Back in 2011, I was informed that I had regurgitation that was moderate. They weren't worried at the time, but wanted to monitor me more.
On July 22nd, I had an echocardiogram as part of my regular checkup. After reviewing the video of bloodflow through my heart, my cardiologist informed me that my regurgitation is now severe. I also have what they call Barlow's Valve, which is a congenital heart defect. My heart is only functioning about 70% effectively, and the whole left ventricle is not working properly. I feel very fortunate to know what has been slowly draining my energy over the past couple of years, but scared because it means heart surgery is needed as soon as possible.
I have scheduled surgery for the morning of August 25th at Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver. If everything goes well, the procedure will take about 4 hours. The plan is to repair the valve by placing a ring over the mitral valve to redirect blood flow. If that fails, the backup plan is to replace my valve with a donor valve. Failing that, I will need a biomechanical device and a lifetime of blood thinners. Regardless of the outcome, I will be in ICU for at least 1 day following surgery, and up to 3 or 4 days in general observation.
We have every bit of faith in the surgeons and staff at Porter Adventist, and are forever grateful for the outpouring of prayers we have received over the past few weeks. We are also blessed with decent insurance that will cover a large amount of the cost. However, even with insurance, we are looking at some substantial medical bills.
During the 6-8 weeks needed for recovery, I will need to use up all my personal and sick days, and will need to find a way to cover medical and living expenses without my income. Between this and my student loans, we're facing considerable financial hardship for the forseeable future.
We're looking to raise money to help offset these costs. $15K would cover most of the expenses and lost income, and would help out immensely. But we're grateful for anything you can give. Thanks for reading, and God bless.
I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse when I was 9 years old, and I visit the cardiologist every couple of years for a checkup. Back in 2011, I was informed that I had regurgitation that was moderate. They weren't worried at the time, but wanted to monitor me more.
On July 22nd, I had an echocardiogram as part of my regular checkup. After reviewing the video of bloodflow through my heart, my cardiologist informed me that my regurgitation is now severe. I also have what they call Barlow's Valve, which is a congenital heart defect. My heart is only functioning about 70% effectively, and the whole left ventricle is not working properly. I feel very fortunate to know what has been slowly draining my energy over the past couple of years, but scared because it means heart surgery is needed as soon as possible.
I have scheduled surgery for the morning of August 25th at Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver. If everything goes well, the procedure will take about 4 hours. The plan is to repair the valve by placing a ring over the mitral valve to redirect blood flow. If that fails, the backup plan is to replace my valve with a donor valve. Failing that, I will need a biomechanical device and a lifetime of blood thinners. Regardless of the outcome, I will be in ICU for at least 1 day following surgery, and up to 3 or 4 days in general observation.
We have every bit of faith in the surgeons and staff at Porter Adventist, and are forever grateful for the outpouring of prayers we have received over the past few weeks. We are also blessed with decent insurance that will cover a large amount of the cost. However, even with insurance, we are looking at some substantial medical bills.
During the 6-8 weeks needed for recovery, I will need to use up all my personal and sick days, and will need to find a way to cover medical and living expenses without my income. Between this and my student loans, we're facing considerable financial hardship for the forseeable future.
We're looking to raise money to help offset these costs. $15K would cover most of the expenses and lost income, and would help out immensely. But we're grateful for anything you can give. Thanks for reading, and God bless.
Organizer
Lacey Sears
Organizer
Denver, CO