Hi everyone.  I'm trying to raise funds to help my parents through a very difficult situation that was caused when my mom recently had to have a second heart transplant.

 

In 2008, her heart was destroyed by a virus, and she was told she would need a transplant ASAP to survive. This was shocking news because  she was in good shape and had no previous health issues. After a lengthy process, she was accepted into the transplant program at UCLA and put on the transplant list. Six months later, she received a donor heart and was successfully transplanted on Thanksgiving Day, 2009. That heart served her well for 12 years, but she started having problems a few months ago.  After examinations and tests, she was told her transplanted heart was no longer functioning properly and she would need a second heart transplant. 

 

Fortunately, she was accepted into Cedars-Sinai’s transplant program and officially put on the transplant list in November.  Given the condition of her heart, her doctors hoped she’d be able to receive a suitable donor heart within a few months.  Miraculously, on December 28th, only four weeks after being put on the transplant list, she received a call in the middle of the night that a donor heart was available.  Fortunately, that heart was a match, and she was successfully transplanted for the second time on December 29, 2021. She was released eight days later and is now recuperating at home.

 

Funds raised will be used for the following:

 

• My parents were a two-income family, but now my mom will be off work indefinitely. During this time, her income will be lost since she's  used all her sick days, vacation days and almost all her short-term disability insurance (SDI) as a result of the first transplant and ongoing, related  treatments and hospitalizations over the past twelve years. 

• The cost of the second transplant was around $1,400,000, and although insurance will cover most of this, there is still a significant amount they must pay.

• The cost of post-transplant medication is very high. Her current anti-rejection drugs cost over $5,000 per month. Again, while insurance will pay for most of this, they must cover a portion and will have to do so for years to come (they’ve been doing this for the past 12 years from her first heart transplant).

• They've depleted their savings/retirement from the previous transplant because at the time (2009), insurance companies were allowed to include a maximum payout provision in their policies which in my mom’s case was $1,000,000. That transplant cost almost $1,350,000 so they exceeded the $1,000,000 max payout and were responsible for the difference.  They paid as much as they could.  Ironically, the Affordable Care Act was passed the following year and insurance companies were no longer allowed to establish maximum payouts.

• They have to drive to Los Angeles for biopsies, blood work and other tests on a regular basis for the next 6 months.  Each visit requires a hotel stay and they have 8 appointments just in the first month. 

 

• Finally, in May, just before we found out that my mom would need a second transplant, my dad, who has always been healthy and  active, had a heart attack. Fortunately, he survived and is doing well but he had to retire and consequently lost his income.  

 

My parents have worked hard all their lives and never asked anyone for anything.  They've given back to their community and always donated to charity.  Now, they really need help.  I know there's a lot of worthwhile causes out there and I’m grateful to all the wonderful people on GoFundMe who help. Please consider donating to my mom’s cause. Even if you’re not able to do so, sharing her GoFundMe page with your social media network would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to everyone!