Hi, I am R.J. McCollum and I am trying to raise funds to help ease medical bills for my Mom's upcoming surgeries. Many of you know her as Moe. She has battled heart disease most of her life. In 1995, at 38, she had quadruple bypass surgery and since 2005 she has had nearly a dozen stents put into her heart to help keep blood flowing in and out of her heart. In 2021, a week after one of these stents was put into her heart, the stent failed and caused her to have a massive heart attack and put her into congestive heart failure. Since that diagnosis, she has been hospitalized numerous times and in October, while in Pennsylvania, she went into cardiogenic shock. Her kidneys and liver started failing her and thankfully she was stabilized and was able to come home after three weeks of being hospitalized. While she was hospitalized, she was transferred to the University of Maryland Medical Center and their cardiac team referred us to Vanderbilt University to follow up with her cardiac care since they are one of the best in the country. Upon our initial meeting with them, they suggested that Moe get evaluated for a heart transplant.

At the end of January, we traveled to Nashville and she went through three days of extensive testing. After their selection committee meeting on the 28th, she was told that they didn't feel that she was strong enough yet for a heart transplant and recommended an LVAD pump be implanted in her chest to help her heart pump easier while she builds her strength up so that she can eventually be approved and be listed for a heart transplant. LVAD is a Left Ventricular Assist Device that is implanted in her chest that is hooked up to an external vest that houses batteries which help the left side of her heart pump easier.

This is where we need help. We were contacted on February 21st by the LVAD team at Vanderbilt and they want to do the procedure on the 27th and they want us there on Tuesday, February 25th. This has put a heavy financial burden on us since we have no time to save funds for our expenses following this procedure. We will need to be in Nashville for at least the next 8 weeks within one hour of the hospital. They have made housing recommendations and will help us once she is discharged from the hospital with securing housing, but it's going to cost us almost $2,000 just for housing. In addition to that, we have two dogs and had to find boarding for them for the next two months as well, and that is costing us another $2,000. This doesn't include the cost of the procedure itself as well as food and supplies, travel expenses, current utility bills, mortgage payment, etc. A year from now, we're likely going to have to go through this again once she gets approved for a heart transplant. We really need some help.

To be completely transparent, I have this fundraiser listed under my name only because while Moe is hospitalized, I am taking on all financial responsibilities - paying bills, working with everyone to try to set up payment plans where we can, etc. and any stress that I can take from her will only help her in her recovery. I know that this is a lot to ask for, and both of us don't like to ask for help, but we have no choice. Any assistance that you are willing and able to provide would greatly help us while we try to navigate the next year and beyond.