Open Heart Surgery

My sister was born with heart problems that required open heart surgery at a young age. While she was 10 years old, a new valve was placed in her heart to make it pump more efficiently.  After lots of recent appointments with specialists, many tests and procedures, the UW Medical team decided that it is time to replace her valve once again. To go along with her valve replacement, the teams will also perform reconstruction on other areas of her heart. Her surgery is scheduled for early December.  She is considered a unique surgery case. She will have two surgical teams (UW Children’s surgical team and UW Hospital surgical team) working together during her surgery.  She will be at the UW Hospital for at least a week before being released to go home.  Due to COVID-19, she will not be allowed any visitors during her stay.  Even with the increase in COVID-19, the UW Medical teams have told her that her surgery will not be postponed as it is considered serious and they do not want to wait.

Christy is now in her 40’s, a single mom with a teenage son, working 2 jobs and has missed many days without pay already for all the appointments prior to surgery.  Her recovery time after surgery is going to take possibly 3 months to get back to her full-time benefited job. And it may be perhaps another 4-5 months to get back to her part time/2nd job. During this time period she will not be able to drive or do any physical lifting, moving, or activities that require any straining.    Any financial help that she receives will allow her to take the time to heal properly, will help go towards numerous follow up appointments, unknown medical costs, medications, mortgage payments, gas expenses for people to take her from Dodgeville to Madison, and may also help with some food costs as well.

One wouldn’t know this unless you know my sister, but she has been dealing with daily life aches and pains for many years leading up to this next surgery.  As her valve has continued to weaken in its function, she has experienced chest pains, shortness of breath, fatigue, inability to maintain regular activity levels, and being light headed to name a few symptoms.  And despite all of these issues, she continues to be a bright star in all that she does, and the patients that she takes care of, and cares for her son, as well as their feline and canine family members. 

Anything you could do to help her supplement some of her medical and personal costs during this very scary and difficult surgery will be invaluable to her. No amount is too small!!