We are hoping to raise funds to support Kristie and her family while she waits for her new heart and goes through the heart transplant process! We would love some help to soften the financial burden of travel and hotel costs for Andrew, Kristie’s husband, as he is by her side every day, the loss of income, as Kristie is not currently working and for medical costs, as you may know are unpredictable, and insurance only goes so far.

Kristie was diagnosed in 2006 with a genetic heart condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, also known as HCM. HCM is a heart condition where the heart muscle, particularly the left ventricle, thickens, making it harder for the heart to pump blood effectively. In Kristie’s case, her condition has progressed, requiring a heart transplant.

Kristie’s journey has been filled with ups and downs. She has taken many different medications and undergone a number medical procedures to try and slow the progression of her condition, spending a lot of time in hospitals.

In 2015, Kristie’s condition noticeably began to weaken, and as a safety precaution, she had a defibrillator placed in her chest. For those of you who are not familiar with a defibrillator, in the event your heart has a fatal abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmia, ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, the defibrillator provides an electrical shock to the heart and sends it back into normal rhythm.

Then, in December of 2020, Kristie experienced her first attack of Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib). A-Fib is a heart rhythm disorder where the upper chambers of the heart (atria) beat irregularly and rapidly. Since her first encounter with A-Fib, she has had multiple episodes and then cardioversions to correct the abnormal heart rhythm. Additionally, these episodes have led to 3 A-fib ablations and leaving her to deal with heart failure constantly for several years.

Last month, while teaching a yoga class, Kristie went into cardiac arrest. She was brought back to life by her defibrillator and was fortunate enough to have someone in her class who knew CPR. She initially spent a few days in St. Peters Hospital in Albany, then moved to Lahey Medical Center in Boston. After some careful consideration, they transferred her to Tufts Medical Hospital in Boston on June 13th. Upon her arrival, she was evaluated and then placed on the heart transplant list with the Tufts Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation Center as a level 2 patient. Level 2 means her condition is very serious and places her at a high importance on the transplant list. Kristie will be living in the hospital until her donor heart is available.

Kristie’s family has been very present and supportive during this time. Kristie has 3 children, Casey, Camryn, and Elise. A special thanks to Kristie and Andrew’s parents who have been caring for the girls during this time.

Thank you to all who will consider donating. We appreciate your help.

7/29/2025 UPDATE:

We would like to share an exciting update on Kristie's transplant journey!

On Saturday July 19th, just before midnight, Kristie got the news her donor heart was going to make its way to Boston! Filled with both excitement and a bit of nerves, Kristie got ready for her transplant!

On the morning of Sunday July 20th, Kristie went in for her surgery and just after 9:30pm we got the news that Kristie was out of surgery and the transplant was complete.

Over the next week, they closely monitored Kristie to ensure all was going well and on Friday July 25th, we got word she was awake and talking!

Kristie was moved from surgery cardiac intensive care unit to cardiac care unit today (Tuesday, 7/29) where she will continue her PT and recovery for at least the next couple of weeks.

She is doing well, we can't be happier! The team at Tufts tell us she is doing great!

We want to thank everyone for their overwhelming love and support! We will keep you posted on Kristie's journey!