Steve's Open Heart Surgery Recovery

Steven Nousiainen is a family man! He has helped raise four children and now is enjoying life as a grandfather to his 16 grandchildren! He has been happily married for over 35 years and has ALWAYS worked hard to support his family. Steve enjoys staying active, going fishing, and visiting with friends and family! He never meets a stranger and helps wherever/whoever he can. Now it's our turn to help HIM!

Steve had two unexpected heart surgeries recently, followed by an ICU and hospital stay. He is now home and recovering, however, the typical recovery lasts between 6 and 12 weeks. During this time, he will have several physical limitations and will be unable to work. He has already been out of work since early November and will not be healed enough to return until after the new year. This has caused a huge amount of emotional and financial stress in the home. Even with insurance, there are still medical debts to be paid. The need for groceries and utilities are also a need that will be difficult to pay while out of work. Please consider helping my parents keep food on the table and lights on in their home during this difficult transition!

Prayers are always appreciated and welcomed! Thank you so much for reading his story.

More details:

On Thursday, November 14th, 2024, Steve (my dad) was taken into surgery for a coronary angioplasty. This is a procedure done to open clogged blood vessels of the heart. Coronary angioplasty treats vessels, called coronary arteries, which deliver blood to heart muscles. A tiny balloon on a narrow tube, called a catheter, is used to widen a clogged artery and improve blood flow. An angioplasty is often followed by the placement of a small wire mesh tube called a stent. The stent helps prop the artery open and decreases the chance of the artery narrowing again. Most stents are coated with medicine that helps keep the artery open.

Unfortunately, things did not work out as planned and the procedure was unsuccessful. Steve remained in the hospital while they prepared for another surgery. On November 18, 2024, he was taken in for a quadruple bypass surgery. A quadruple bypass heart surgery is performed when four blood vessels that feed the heart are blocked. The surgery is needed to reroute blood around the blockages with vessels taken from other parts of the body. Each of these replaced vessels is called a bypass graft. This is an open-heart surgical procedure where the chest is cut open and the person is put on a machine to do the work of the heart and lungs during the surgery while the surgeons stop the heart to work on it. This process took about 6 hours. But this surgery didn't go as planned either. Doctors were unable to complete the quadruple bypass due to the damage of one of his heart valves, so a triple heart bypass was done instead. In addition to this, a titanium plate was screwed into his chest to assist with protecting his heart and to help with the healing process. The surgery was completed successfully, and Steve spent the next few days recovering in the ICU.

On November 23, 2024, Steve was released to go home under the care of his wife and a homecare nurse. He also had to be referred to cardiac rehabilitation, a structured and monitored exercise program that is designed to strengthen the heart. He has to be evaluated by an occupational therapist and physical therapist. The following few months will be very difficult as he recovers. He not only needs to learn to slow down for the first time ever, but he will also need to regain his strength, nurse his wounds and explore a whole new way of eating. Thank you in advance for all your support in this difficult time.

Much Love,

The Nousiainen Family

(All funds go directly to Steve and his wife-no middle man- Pay pal is also available for those who rather do it that way under the name Angie Nousiainen- [email redacted])