Hi, my name is Marcia and my son Marshall is well aware that life can change in an instant. When he was only 13 his father died suddenly and then like many in our area we were displaced by the flooding in 2016. So he was no stranger to sudden changes in life circumstances. But in the last two weeks he has lived that lesson as never before. On March 31, a cardiovascular surgeon stood at his bedside and said “You are lucky to be alive. We need to take you to the operating room as soon as possible for open heart surgery.” Not something you are prepared for at age 26. But let me back up.

About 2 weeks before, Marshall had developed chest pain that stopped him in his tracks, but after a short rest and some anti-gas medicine it went away so he thought “No big deal.” And he went on with his work as a land survey crew. Almost two weeks later he had another episode of chest pain and this time it didn’t go away and he ended up in the ER where doctors were concerned that his EKG looked bad and admitted him for observation. He subsequently underwent a heart catheterization that revealed he had an aortic dissection ( essentially the largest artery in his body had developed a tear near his heart). It was life threatening and required emergency surgery. After the surgery his surgeon explained that the tear must have happened with the first episode of chest pain because the damage that he saw in surgery was so extensive. The surgeon was amazed that marshall had lived to make it to the hospital. The surgery was successful and now Marshall is on the road to recovery.

The road to recovery is a long one since the surgery was a major open heart operation. He will be out of work for 2 possibly 3 months as he recovers and heals. As his job requires him to be physically active it will be some time before his life will be anything close to normal. He is very grateful to be alive but now has to deal with major medical bills and how he can support his family during this time. Many thanks for all the prayers and support that we have received and continue to receive during this difficult time.