Jeff's Open-Heart Recovery Fund
Donation protected
Most of my friends and family are aware that it's been a ruff winter for Mr. Farris and the Farris family.... I've tried to keep everyone abreast of what's been going on, but honestly as I write this, I'm amazed at seeing it written down on the screen.
First, let me say that the MULTITUDE of prayers, thoughts and support from EVERYONE has really been what's gotten me thru the past few months. You don't really understand how amazing God is until you realize how he has brought you amazing family and friends in your life that are there for you when you are truly in need.
My new year started with everything going great! My partner Ray had finally recovered from a series of diabetic foot wounds that included a partial amputation and about 10 months of recovery with 3 2-hour sessions weekly in a hyperbaric chamber. He is probably in his best health since his cardiac arrest in August 2008 when he went in for out-patient surgery to have a pacemaker implanted and the device failed causing his permanent short-term memory loss and his lifetime disability.
My my mom has battled Parkinson's for 19 years including the last 4.5 in a nursing home, so I can't say I was surprised when the calls started coming in mid-January from my sisters to come home n see her because she had a series of pneumonia's that had taken their toll and she was fading fast. Ray and I scraped together the airfare and in mid-February we were off to frigid Pittsburgh for what would be my last days with mom. I was able to feed her everyday and slowly say of goodbye to the most amazing woman I've ever known.
Upon my return, I felt insanely achy. I could barely get out of bed in the morning and when I returned to work at the coffee shop and the Warriors games I was in so much pain I could barely lift 15lbs. Immediately I started to think maybe I was in early-on set Parkinson's. But after a week and a lot of arthritis pain relief acetaminophen, I felt good and chalked it up to a ruff flu that had been making the rounds in the coffee shop.
March came in like a lion...the pain returned a few weeks later.. On Wednesday, March 11th, I did my typical double...starting at the Buck at 6am...working until 2:15pm on a crazy busy day because we sent two kids home with the flu....then running home, showering, changing and getting to the coliseum for to work another Warriors victory until 11pm. I continually felt worse throughout the day and by the end of the night I couldn't add up my concessions sales totals to close my stand. Everything was spinning. I crawled into bed around midnight and slept like a rock, hoping Thursday would be bette
Now things get foggy....I kinda remember laying in bed all day Thursday swallowing a lot of NyQuil. Don't remember Friday at all. I had a shift at the Buck Friday am and didn't show up or call, so, my co-workers texted me with no response...very unlike me...their concern mounted. Meanwhile, Ray says I was speaking nonsense by the afternoon n not responding to questions and lying on the floor of the bedroom. Not knowing what to do, he decided to go to the bank and get some cash so he could call a cab and take me to the hospital.
After he left, one of my co-workers had decided to drive over to our apartment. Not getting an answer, she tracked down my landlord upstairs and asked him to let her in to check on me....the apartment was empty except a glass is water on the floor of the bedroom with ice still in it. Where was Jeff? At this point, Ray was walking up the driveway returning from the bank. My co-worker asked where I was and Ray said, "I don't know." I awoke Saturday around 7am in the Highland Hospl ER. I had been found on the street the night before, naked and with 105 fever and no other identification...I was stable, had a crazy staff infection throughout my body. 7 days later, I was released with an IV line in my right bicep and 30-days of antibiotics to take at home changing my drip line daily....I can handle this...I'm alive! It's March 20th.
6 days later after a long day of lab tests, doctor visbits, and daily drama, I return home in the afternoon and feel a mild stoke on my left-side. Initially leg, arm and a little of the face, but within 10 minutes, leg n speech back...just numbness in left forearm and hand, which won't function at all. Two days later my beloved Duke Blue Devils book a return trip to the Final 4. Hand very slowly returning. It is now April.
April 4th, great time with fellow Dukies enjoying relaxing semifinal win over Michigan State and telling old stories from college like they happened yesterday. Wisconsin upsets Kentucky ending their undefeated season and setting up a Duke-Wisconsin final Monday night. The next day when I return from an uplifting Palm Sunday service, I get word from my sisters that the decision has been made to stop feeding mom and make her comfortable to finally end her 2 decade struggle with Parkinson's.
Monday, April 6th....see neurologist about the still numb hand...set up an MRI for Wednesday...that evening, DUKE WINS! Coach K's 5th National Championship. MRI 7am Wednesday...after returning to the lovely isle of Alameda, my phone rings about 30 minutes later...my nurologist...go straight to the ER for tests,,,something didn't look right...by Friday, electrocardigraph revals a damage heart valve...blood going wrong way when my heart pumps....immediate surgery or monitor a few days? I got a funeral to get to...Monitor..released Friday from hospital with very stearn warnings from 3 cardiologists to chech back if anything gets wor, myse.
Easter Sunday, April 12th....wake up to a little rain which NorCal is in desperate need of....while on the bus to church my phone rings, my sister tells me mom has passed...fly home Tuesday red-eye to be with family...unable to sleep laying flat...edema building in my ankles..ruff flight with 2 connections moving very slowly...only comfortable sitting up...Saturday, April, 18th...beautiful funeral...Monday, April 20th...return home around midnight after a lovely, emotional, family-bonding week....edema getting worse...trouble walking a block....try to get in to see my primary care doc Tuesday, but she's out of the office. Wednesday 11am appointment.
On Wednesday, Ray and I are off to the hospital....he needs some labs, and I'm gonna see earlithe doc to figure out what's next. After labs, Ray heads home instead of waiting for me. Nurse looks at my swollen feet,..listens to my chest, makes my walk at elevated rate n talks to the doc...by noon, doc has calle d ER in Berkeley where I was two weeks earlier and tells them I'm returning. By that evening it is decided...OPEN-HEART SUGERY ASAP to replace my valve....initially scheduled for Monday.......sis books flight to get into Oakland Thursday night...while she is heading to Phoenix connection, cardiologist says opening Friday am for surgery....transfer hospitals Thursday afternoon to Oakland to prep for next day operation....sis lands in Oakland 10pm....she will work from Cali for at least the next 6 weeks while she helps my recovery.
Friday am....meet with surgeon...very impressive...ask about possible repair...instead of replacement...he's not hopeful based on most recent tests....wake up at 7pm from surgery....HEART VALVE REPAIRED!!!....God is amazing...truly blessed...crazy scar down my shaved-hairless chest, but already feeling better....Tuesday, 1pm...released from hospital...moving very slow, but FRESH AIR and again, IM ALIVhE!!!
Today is 1-week after my open heart surgery. I can't believe how good I feel physically! Gonna walk 1-mile today, sun is shining and it's gonna be a beautiful day on the island...I'm am truly blessed!
Yesterday I received my first bill for my initial 7-day stay at Highland in mid-March. That's when I realized my next major challenge is gonna be these bills....it totals $5,865 after insurance and they kindly ask for payment by 5/14....I have no idea what my other two hospital visits on 4/8 and 4/22-28 will add up to after insurance, but I've gotta assume at least another $10K because it looks like I have 20% co-pay plus I'll be visiting a lot of docs over the next few week....follow-up on labs 2-3 x a week for the next month...another MRI an,d hand therapy on my still recovering left hand from the stroke. I can't work until my sternum heals...at least 6-weeks...can't lift more than 5 lbs per arm....my sister's sacrifice to stay with Ray and I means to rehab facility costs.
Most of you know it is not my nature to ask for help. When I wanted to go to college, I worked very hard to acquire an academic + need-based scholarship, took out loans for the rest and worked hard every summer to allow me to afford an education from Duke University and pay off the loans on time 10 years later. After a 20-year career in insurance, at the height of my career both financially and professionally, I left the corporate world when Ray suffered his coma/cardiac arrest in August of 2008 and continue to care for his daily needs. I now earn about 1/7th of my salary fron 2008, but I've managed to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads for the past 6-years working my two retail jobs near home that allow me to monitor Ray's health. I prayed on this new financial challenge, and awoke with the direction to try "Go Fund Me". I've supported in small ways others from this site and I'm asking my friends/family and their friends and family for their help. If you cannot assist financially at this time, I'll take your prayers and ask you to forward this to your Facebook friends in hopes they may offer a contribution. Ever $1 is greatly appreciated.
I started writing this 4 hours ago...it is now nearly exactly 1 week after I was taken in for my open-heart surgery...It's a beautiful morning in Alameda, CA...I'm going to go enjoy the sunshine and breath the fresh air and praise God for his grace and guidance over these past 3 months. Thank you for taking time to read my story and for all of your support to get me to better health!
I'll be in touch with continued updates of my recovery! Have a blessed day!
First, let me say that the MULTITUDE of prayers, thoughts and support from EVERYONE has really been what's gotten me thru the past few months. You don't really understand how amazing God is until you realize how he has brought you amazing family and friends in your life that are there for you when you are truly in need.
My new year started with everything going great! My partner Ray had finally recovered from a series of diabetic foot wounds that included a partial amputation and about 10 months of recovery with 3 2-hour sessions weekly in a hyperbaric chamber. He is probably in his best health since his cardiac arrest in August 2008 when he went in for out-patient surgery to have a pacemaker implanted and the device failed causing his permanent short-term memory loss and his lifetime disability.
My my mom has battled Parkinson's for 19 years including the last 4.5 in a nursing home, so I can't say I was surprised when the calls started coming in mid-January from my sisters to come home n see her because she had a series of pneumonia's that had taken their toll and she was fading fast. Ray and I scraped together the airfare and in mid-February we were off to frigid Pittsburgh for what would be my last days with mom. I was able to feed her everyday and slowly say of goodbye to the most amazing woman I've ever known.
Upon my return, I felt insanely achy. I could barely get out of bed in the morning and when I returned to work at the coffee shop and the Warriors games I was in so much pain I could barely lift 15lbs. Immediately I started to think maybe I was in early-on set Parkinson's. But after a week and a lot of arthritis pain relief acetaminophen, I felt good and chalked it up to a ruff flu that had been making the rounds in the coffee shop.
March came in like a lion...the pain returned a few weeks later.. On Wednesday, March 11th, I did my typical double...starting at the Buck at 6am...working until 2:15pm on a crazy busy day because we sent two kids home with the flu....then running home, showering, changing and getting to the coliseum for to work another Warriors victory until 11pm. I continually felt worse throughout the day and by the end of the night I couldn't add up my concessions sales totals to close my stand. Everything was spinning. I crawled into bed around midnight and slept like a rock, hoping Thursday would be bette
Now things get foggy....I kinda remember laying in bed all day Thursday swallowing a lot of NyQuil. Don't remember Friday at all. I had a shift at the Buck Friday am and didn't show up or call, so, my co-workers texted me with no response...very unlike me...their concern mounted. Meanwhile, Ray says I was speaking nonsense by the afternoon n not responding to questions and lying on the floor of the bedroom. Not knowing what to do, he decided to go to the bank and get some cash so he could call a cab and take me to the hospital.
After he left, one of my co-workers had decided to drive over to our apartment. Not getting an answer, she tracked down my landlord upstairs and asked him to let her in to check on me....the apartment was empty except a glass is water on the floor of the bedroom with ice still in it. Where was Jeff? At this point, Ray was walking up the driveway returning from the bank. My co-worker asked where I was and Ray said, "I don't know." I awoke Saturday around 7am in the Highland Hospl ER. I had been found on the street the night before, naked and with 105 fever and no other identification...I was stable, had a crazy staff infection throughout my body. 7 days later, I was released with an IV line in my right bicep and 30-days of antibiotics to take at home changing my drip line daily....I can handle this...I'm alive! It's March 20th.
6 days later after a long day of lab tests, doctor visbits, and daily drama, I return home in the afternoon and feel a mild stoke on my left-side. Initially leg, arm and a little of the face, but within 10 minutes, leg n speech back...just numbness in left forearm and hand, which won't function at all. Two days later my beloved Duke Blue Devils book a return trip to the Final 4. Hand very slowly returning. It is now April.
April 4th, great time with fellow Dukies enjoying relaxing semifinal win over Michigan State and telling old stories from college like they happened yesterday. Wisconsin upsets Kentucky ending their undefeated season and setting up a Duke-Wisconsin final Monday night. The next day when I return from an uplifting Palm Sunday service, I get word from my sisters that the decision has been made to stop feeding mom and make her comfortable to finally end her 2 decade struggle with Parkinson's.
Monday, April 6th....see neurologist about the still numb hand...set up an MRI for Wednesday...that evening, DUKE WINS! Coach K's 5th National Championship. MRI 7am Wednesday...after returning to the lovely isle of Alameda, my phone rings about 30 minutes later...my nurologist...go straight to the ER for tests,,,something didn't look right...by Friday, electrocardigraph revals a damage heart valve...blood going wrong way when my heart pumps....immediate surgery or monitor a few days? I got a funeral to get to...Monitor..released Friday from hospital with very stearn warnings from 3 cardiologists to chech back if anything gets wor, myse.
Easter Sunday, April 12th....wake up to a little rain which NorCal is in desperate need of....while on the bus to church my phone rings, my sister tells me mom has passed...fly home Tuesday red-eye to be with family...unable to sleep laying flat...edema building in my ankles..ruff flight with 2 connections moving very slowly...only comfortable sitting up...Saturday, April, 18th...beautiful funeral...Monday, April 20th...return home around midnight after a lovely, emotional, family-bonding week....edema getting worse...trouble walking a block....try to get in to see my primary care doc Tuesday, but she's out of the office. Wednesday 11am appointment.
On Wednesday, Ray and I are off to the hospital....he needs some labs, and I'm gonna see earlithe doc to figure out what's next. After labs, Ray heads home instead of waiting for me. Nurse looks at my swollen feet,..listens to my chest, makes my walk at elevated rate n talks to the doc...by noon, doc has calle d ER in Berkeley where I was two weeks earlier and tells them I'm returning. By that evening it is decided...OPEN-HEART SUGERY ASAP to replace my valve....initially scheduled for Monday.......sis books flight to get into Oakland Thursday night...while she is heading to Phoenix connection, cardiologist says opening Friday am for surgery....transfer hospitals Thursday afternoon to Oakland to prep for next day operation....sis lands in Oakland 10pm....she will work from Cali for at least the next 6 weeks while she helps my recovery.
Friday am....meet with surgeon...very impressive...ask about possible repair...instead of replacement...he's not hopeful based on most recent tests....wake up at 7pm from surgery....HEART VALVE REPAIRED!!!....God is amazing...truly blessed...crazy scar down my shaved-hairless chest, but already feeling better....Tuesday, 1pm...released from hospital...moving very slow, but FRESH AIR and again, IM ALIVhE!!!
Today is 1-week after my open heart surgery. I can't believe how good I feel physically! Gonna walk 1-mile today, sun is shining and it's gonna be a beautiful day on the island...I'm am truly blessed!
Yesterday I received my first bill for my initial 7-day stay at Highland in mid-March. That's when I realized my next major challenge is gonna be these bills....it totals $5,865 after insurance and they kindly ask for payment by 5/14....I have no idea what my other two hospital visits on 4/8 and 4/22-28 will add up to after insurance, but I've gotta assume at least another $10K because it looks like I have 20% co-pay plus I'll be visiting a lot of docs over the next few week....follow-up on labs 2-3 x a week for the next month...another MRI an,d hand therapy on my still recovering left hand from the stroke. I can't work until my sternum heals...at least 6-weeks...can't lift more than 5 lbs per arm....my sister's sacrifice to stay with Ray and I means to rehab facility costs.
Most of you know it is not my nature to ask for help. When I wanted to go to college, I worked very hard to acquire an academic + need-based scholarship, took out loans for the rest and worked hard every summer to allow me to afford an education from Duke University and pay off the loans on time 10 years later. After a 20-year career in insurance, at the height of my career both financially and professionally, I left the corporate world when Ray suffered his coma/cardiac arrest in August of 2008 and continue to care for his daily needs. I now earn about 1/7th of my salary fron 2008, but I've managed to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads for the past 6-years working my two retail jobs near home that allow me to monitor Ray's health. I prayed on this new financial challenge, and awoke with the direction to try "Go Fund Me". I've supported in small ways others from this site and I'm asking my friends/family and their friends and family for their help. If you cannot assist financially at this time, I'll take your prayers and ask you to forward this to your Facebook friends in hopes they may offer a contribution. Ever $1 is greatly appreciated.
I started writing this 4 hours ago...it is now nearly exactly 1 week after I was taken in for my open-heart surgery...It's a beautiful morning in Alameda, CA...I'm going to go enjoy the sunshine and breath the fresh air and praise God for his grace and guidance over these past 3 months. Thank you for taking time to read my story and for all of your support to get me to better health!
I'll be in touch with continued updates of my recovery! Have a blessed day!
Organizer
Jeff Farris
Organizer
Alameda, CA