Stand by Frank Scalzo and Family

Help Support Frank Scalzo’s Fight for His Life ❤️‍

(NEW Updates below)

Dear friends, family, and kind-hearted strangers,

My name is Courtney Scalzo, and I’m reaching out with a heavy but hopeful heart to ask for your support for my father, Frank Scalzo, who is currently at Westchester Medical Center battling severe and long-standing heart issues.

Frank has fought heart problems for at least 17 years, but recently, his condition has worsened significantly. He has was in St Lukes hospital ICU when he had another episode with his heart and was rushed to Westchester Medical Center. He has undergone a ventricular tracheotomy, and is now having a temporary heart pump installed, followed by an ablation procedure. We’ve now been told that the next step may be a heart transplant—a terrifying and life-altering possibility for our family.

Frank is a pillar of our community. For over 20 years, he has owned and operated Millennium Tattoo, where he’s known not just for his artistic talent, but for his kindness, generosity, and warm spirit. He’s touched the lives of countless people—not only through his tattoo work, but also through his stunning, hand-painted 3D sculptures, which so many people know and love.

He recently became a grandfather, a role he was so proud to step into, and one that gives him even more to fight for. Everyone around town recognizes his big black and red truck—a symbol of his larger-than-life presence and unmistakable personality.

While he fights for his life in the hospital—likely for several more weeks—our family is facing mounting challenges. We’re asking for help to ease the financial strain so we can focus fully on Frank’s recovery.

We are asking for help to cover:

• Mounting medical bills

• Household expenses for Frank and his wife of 40 years, Sue

• Care and support for their beloved dogs, Nugget and Mac

• Care and support for his daughters, Krysta and Courtney and grandbaby Quinn

• Transportation, lodging, and food for family members during hospital stays

• Any other unexpected costs that arise during this difficult time

This is an incredibly hard moment for all of us, but we are holding on to hope and the love that surrounds us. We’ve been so touched by the people who have called, visited, and checked in—it means the world to our family.

If you’re able to contribute, any amount helps more than you can imagine. If you can’t give right now, please consider sharing this page with others.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your love, prayers, and support.

(NEW Updates below)



With gratitude and hope,

Courtney Scalzo & Family

UPDATE Written by Frank on 6/20-

”first let me start by saying thank you to all of my friends and family for your kindness and support. I don’t think I could do it without you all. About 2 weeks ago, my defibrillator gave me 4 shocks over 3 days attempting to correct my heart rhythm and slow me to a normal pace, at which point I was admitted to icu ,st Luke’s. While there another episode occurred and I crashed. My heart went to 160-180 bpm, but was finally brought back to a normal rate. At that point I was sent to WMC ccu, where they were able to stabilize me by making adjustments to my implant and through medication. As of this past Tuesday, I was scheduled for 2 procedures; 1 installation of something called an impela pump, which is designed to take the load off my heart in order to make it safe for the second procedure. 2 ventricular ablations, this is where they go into my heart via catheter and try and smooth out the electrical impulses in my heart that are misfiring and causing what I now know as ventricular tachycardia. However, due to an unfortunate miss communication within the hospital staff, these procedures have been delayed and I have been discharged and put on a very limited amount of activity until which time I will be re admitted back to WMC to move forward with the plan. I feel stable mostly, but my anxiety is through the roof. I’m laying low, and trying to feel normal at the same time.

If this procedure doesn’t produce results we are all happy with, then there are 2 options left. One is some type of vest thing, that will help support my heartbeat and the second is a transplant. At this point all the testing is done already for these options, physical, mental and emotional,so if this is the route, I’m ready, I think.

So that’s it for now, I will post updates as they come to be or my family will. Once again I love and thank you all.

see ya soon”

-Frank

Update – July 12th

First and foremost, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We are completely blown away by the outpouring of love and support — from the messages, the shares, the fundraisers, and the generous donations. Every gesture, big or small, has reminded us how deeply loved and supported our father is, and we know it’s lifting his spirits more than words can express.

This past week has been incredibly intense. My dad was admitted to the cardiac ICU at Westchester Medical Center, where he had to undergo two major procedures in just two days. The first was the placement of an Impella pump — a temporary device meant to relieve stress on his heart and help prepare him for the second procedure: ventricular ablations.

Thank God for that pump. During the ablation procedure, my father’s heart actually stopped beating. But the pump did its job and, with the help of an amazing team of doctors, his heart began beating on its own again. After a short recovery in the ICU, the pump was removed and he was stable enough to be moved to the cardiac unit as of yesterday (7/12). When my sister Krysta and I visited, he looked good and was even able to do some light physical therapy.

Unfortunately, during that very same night, his defibrillator went off again — giving him another shock. As of now, his doctors are working to figure out the next steps. It’s very likely the Impella pump will need to be reinstalled, and further ablations may be required to target other areas of his heart in an effort to stop the recurring ventricular tachycardia.

We’re still unsure of the full path ahead, but we’re taking it one day at a time and doing our best to stay positive.

Please know we are doing everything we can to keep everyone informed and to respond to the many heartfelt messages we’ve received — but it may take a little time. We truly appreciate your patience, understanding, and continued support during this incredibly difficult journey.

With love and gratitude,

— The Scalzo Family