This is something that I thought I would never have to do. Darren and I have always been very independent people, so it feels strange doing this.

On 09/05/25, Darren had a heart cath which showed 3 severely blocked vessels. He was admitted to CCU that night, and then on 09/08/25, he had a triple bypass. Afterwards, he had a few complications such as low blood pressure, poor oxygenation, and heart rhythm issues. On 09/15/25, the day that Darren was due to be discharged home, he took a horrible turn for the worse. His blood pressure went as low as 69/29, which caused a seizure due to lack of blood perfusion. It was at this time the doctors think that this is when Darren had a massive heart attack. It enlarged the back side of his heart and caused a hole in the septum between the ventricles of his heart. This caused his blood to shunt from left to right instead of the normal path. At this point, Darren went into cardiogenic shock. This heart attack caused him to go into congestive heart failure, and damaged his liver as well as his kidneys. He had a device called an Impella, which is a pump to assist the heart in pumping. However, he was so sick that he needed more help than what he could get at any hospital in Dothan.

On 09/17/25, arrangements were made for him to be transferred to UAB. He was so critical that UAB used their jet to fly into Dothan to get him. On 09/16/26, it was decided to change out the pump in his heart for a bigger one because he needed more support. He was kept on the ventilator overnight so he could get some sleep because his body was exhausted. Darren did wake up later on in the evening on Friday and began doing so well that he was able to be pulled off of the ventilator. Darren was actually able to take his first steps on 09/20/25. He has made remarkable progress considering where he was at before he got to Birmingham. Darren is still not completely done with everything that needs to be done in order to get him where he needs to be.

On 09/24/25, Darren will have a heart cath to determine the size of the hole that was made in his heart as well as the shape. There will be other tests performed as well. This is being done because the surgeons are trying to find the best way to close the hole in his heart. There is a device that can be used to permanently close a hole in Darren’s heart. Even though the testing is being done this week, the procedure to repair his heart cannot be performed until sometime next week. The doctors want to make sure that his heart is strong enough to withstand another procedure. The device that the doctors are hoping to use can be placed through a heart cath. This will be his third heart procedure within a two-week period of time. Once Darren has the device placed, he will have to remain here at UAB for at least another week or two to ensure there are no complications with the device in his heart.

Even after Darren gets released, he will not be able to return to work for another 3-4 months. I will be able to go back to work once he is discharged, but we are used to living on two incomes and not one. I am trying my best to keep our bills paid so we don’t get behind. I don’t want Darren to stress about bills because he needs to concentrate on getting better. Even if just a dollar is donated, it’s greatly appreciated because it’s a dollar more than what we had.