Our beloved Lonnie Senstock had a heart attack

UPDATE: JUNE 16

Lonnie is stable and has been released from the hospital! YAY!! He came home a couple of days ago...I've just been tending to him and haven't had much time for anything else but wanted to post an update. He'll stay with me for a while until he feels comfortable going home and being on his own. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster! He's really mentally struggling with all of this...the trauma, the fear, acceptance of what happened, all of it is overwhelming. Physically, it's been a challenge too. He's been battling migraines, dizziness, severe nausea, constipation, angina, left arm pain, pretty bad acid reflux/GERD, and bruising (to be expected on blood thinners). So all of that has made him quite uncomfortable. He knows it's gonna be a process and his body is still working out all the gunk from the hospital. We're just taking it one day at a time, or trying to anyway!

Yesterday, we went for a walk so that was a milestone! Today, I took him in for a follow-up with his general practitioner (Lonnie loves him!). We covered lots of interesting bits! Crazily, Lonnie doesn't even have high cholesterol (which is what causes plaque to build in the arteries). Unfortunately, he's just a plaque collector (which tends to be heredity). Because of this, he will have to be on statins for the rest of his life. Same for his blood pressure and heart rate meds...his doctor says this is a necessity now. We're pretty sure this is the med that's making him feel pretty lousy and dizzy so we'll have to address this with his cardiologist. The blood thinner/antiplatelet drug (it prevents clots from forming around the stent) also makes him feel icky. :( Also, the doctor told us Lonnie has some fluid in his lungs. They found a nodule on one of his lungs about 1.5-2 years ago that they've been keeping an eye on. It appears to have increased in size but fluid distorted the imaging making it inconclusive. He'll have to go back in for imaging on this in about 4 weeks. YES, Lonnie is very nervous about this!

Overall, he's hanging in there and doing good! Lonnie has a strong heart! His body and mind just need some time to heal. All of the prayers and donations have been such a BLESSING!!!!! We can't thank everyone enough for their generosity and support!! :)

One other thing I wanna add! I have been so impressed with all of Lonnie's doctors, nurses, and medical staff! Everyone throughout every step of this has been thorough, competent, and compassionate, and has given us so much confidence in his treatment! Just feeling grateful and wanted to share! What a blessing during such a traumatic time!!

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In the early morning hours of Saturday, June 10, Lonnie called me in excruciating pain and unable to breathe. I raced to his apartment and found him crippled on the floor. I got him into the car as quickly as possible and off to the hospital we went...he was getting worse with every passing minute. Lonnie was having a heart attack. He turned 51 just two months ago! During an immediate heart catheter procedure, they found a 90% blockage where the infarction occurred in the back lower lobe of his heart. They placed a permanent stent. He has about 50% plaque buildup throughout the rest of his arteries. It all happened so fast! And since we’re still so early on in all of this, we have no idea what this means. The doctor said to me after his procedure “yesterday Lonnie wasn’t a heart patient, now he will be for the rest of his life.”

I’m reaching out because Lonnie needs our help. He was a full-time student and graduated from massage school just a few months ago. In March of this year, we opened a practice together and have been slowly trying to build our business. Between student loans and the new business, his finances were strained but manageable. But now, this! The medical bills are sure to be astronomical in addition to heart meds he will now have to take for the rest of his life. Not only that, we have no idea what this means for his career and how long he’ll be out of commission. And being a single-person home, meaning he lives alone and is the sole provider for himself, he needs all the support he can get right now.

I set up a Go Fund Me page to help with medical bills, monthly medication expenses, and basic cost of living expenses in the months to come since he won’t be able to work. Anything you can do would be an incredible blessing! Here’s the Go Fund Me link if you wish to donate. Go Fund Me does take a fee so you may also Venmo any donations to me so he’ll receive the full amount. My Venmo is @Jamie-Shelton-15. I’ll be sure to get all funds received to him. More than anything, Lonnie needs your prayers, love, and support!

I’m requesting everyone refrain from calling/texting him right now. He just needs some peace and time to rest. And he’s probably gonna need some time to evaluate his priorities and his life now that he’s been bestowed with this health burden.

Thank you Everyone for all your love and support!!! :)

Much love,

Jamie