Wonder Mom Klute - One in a Million - Raising money for Johnna Klute and her Family

The saying “life can change in a blink of an eye” really doesn’t hit home until the unfathomable happens to someone you love. And perhaps in this case, the better saying is “life can change in the beat of a heart…”

Many of you know her as WMK or Wonder Mom Klute as penned by her three adoring daughters. To me she not only is WMK, but is my Aunt Johnna, a woman who I deeply admire and have adored since my Uncle Jimmy brought her into our family nearly 40 years ago.

On August 16th, Johnna went to the Emergency Room in LaPorte complaining of symptoms typically related to a heart attack. The LaPorte hospital immediately transferred her to Michigan City which admitted her to keep her stable. It wasn’t until the next day in the Cath Lab they discovered her heart did not have damage associated with a heart attack, and diagnosed her with a virus that was attacking her heart. Doctors in Michigan City agreed she needed to be moved to a more specialized hospital, and the decision was made to transport Johnna to Chicago. On August 18th, Johnna was transported to Rush Hospital in Chicago.

Once at Rush, and under the supervision of highly experienced doctors, they were perplexed by her situation. Johnna has no adverse health history, is extremely active, and no comorbidities that could cause this type of heart trouble. Her heart continued to fail and she was rushed into emergency surgery to put her on an ECMO machine to give her heart a rest while they figured out the cause of the heart failure. Once on ECMO, Johnna underwent a second emergency surgery to maximize the support her heart was receiving.

After further testing, it was discovered that there wasn’t a virus attacking Johnna’s heart. Johnna was diagnosed with Giant Cell Myocarditis, an auto-immune disease that affects One in 100 Million people. Yes, One in 100 Million people. There are only about 400 cases worldwide. Johnna’s doctors in Chicago are working with specialists around the globe to tailor her treatment plan on a daily basis.

For all of us who know WMK, the absolute ONLY thing that would stop her is a One in a 100 Million disease that literally has her attached to an ECMO machine that is now acting as her heart.

Unfortunately, once the diagnosis of Giant Cell Myocarditis was made, it was determined that Johnna’s heart was no longer viable. She would need a heart transplant. On August 21st, Johnna was again emergency transferred to Advocate Christ Heart Transplant Center in Oak Lawn. One week later, after extensive testing, Johnna was placed on the Heart Transplant list in the most urgent status - 1A.

While the status is most urgent, the disease makes finding a donor difficult. So we all wait… and pray.

To all of us who know and love Johnna, she truly is One in a Million, especially to her husband, Jimmy, her three daughters, Hannah, Emma and Amellia, and her soon to be son-in-law, Michael, Hannah’s fiance.

Johnna is amazing. She is in good spirits, very calm, and appreciating the wonderful care she is receiving from her medical team.

We are raising funds to go towards Johnna’s medical bills and expenses, for caretakers as needed, travel expenses for the girls to visit Johnna in Chicago as often as their jobs and school allow, and making the home accessible. As you can imagine, there will be a lifetime of expenses ahead for the family after the transplant.

If you are unable to donate, we completely understand. Please pray for a donor heart for Johnna, and for the strength of Jimmy, Hannah, Emma, Amellia, and Michael. Johnna feels the prayers from everyone and is greatly appreciative of the support.

And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE become a donor today. You never know whose life you will save… it could be Johnna’s… or someone who is One in a Million in your life.