Kurtis Harrower's Heart Journey
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As many of you know, Kurtis Harrower was born with heart problems. The last seven years have been particularly challenging and have included countless trips to the hospital, two open-heart surgeries, and the realization that his heart is dying. Kurtis will need a heart transplant that will take place in Edmonton, Alberta. This transplant could happen at any point. Kurtis received a transplant call in early March and was air-lifted to Edmonton, but the surgery could not take place and he returned home. While this has been an unbelievable emotional roller coaster, it brings hope that the transplant can happen very soon. Any day now, he will be heading for surgery and entering a 5+ month hospital stay and a long recovery in Edmonton.
The last few years have been difficult. Kurtis’ energy levels have been low, especially when recovering from surgery, and Katie and Kurtis have been raising Nora (age 3) and Linkin (age 5) while also looking out for Kurt’s health. It has been a long road dealing with extra complications related to the liver, lungs, and kidneys, and has required various medications and procedures. Every time there is a complication (and there have been many), Katie needs to take Kurtis to Regina or Edmonton. These trips include all kinds of stress with travel, health, child-care, time off work, and finances.
Kurtis has been unable to work for 2.5 years, and his benefits are no longer applicable. When he receives the transplant, Katie, the sole provider, will need to take some extended time off work to help him recover. While they are grateful for the care he has been provided and the costs that have been covered, the treatment, drugs, and recovery continue to be costly. We are hoping to provide community support for Kurtis, Katie, Linkin, and Nora so that they might focus on the recovery when the heart transplant takes place. Anything that can be given, no matter how small the amount, will be thankfully received with grateful hearts.
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If you want to read more about Kurtis’ heart journey, please read below:
Kurtis Harrower’s heart problems started as soon as he was born. At 2 months old, he had open-heart surgery to repair a coarctation of the aorta and pulmonary banding. (Think of this as a garden hose with a kink in it, the blood is not flowing properly because it’s restricted.) This surgery fixed some immediate problems but not the overall issue. When he turned 3 years old, he had another open-heart operation to remove the pulmonary banding and repair three holes in his heart. It was a long road to recovery for himself and for his family; but since that point Kurtis had been free from any heart problems for over 25 years.
The following timeline outlines Kurtis’ heart journey over the last seven years:
September 2015: Kurtis suffering from some abdominal and chest pain at work, testing begins
June 2016: Open heart surgery to repair his tricuspid valve
November 2017: Open heart surgery to repair tricuspid valve (again) and place an annuloplasty ring
November 2018: Air ambulance to Edmonton because of congestive heart failure. Family receives news that surgery will not fix his heart because it is dying. First time meeting transplant team that concludes they will alter medication and closely monitor for future heart transplant
2019: Doctor appointments, emergency room visits, tests, AFib procedure, and longer hospital stays
February 2020: Hospital stay in Edmonton for first consultation to discuss the possibility of heart transplant
July 2020: Hospital stay in Edmonton (two separate occasions) to do back-to-back weeks' worth of testing. The family was told…
KURTIS WAS ACCEPTED FOR A HEART TRANSPLANT AND PUT ON THE LIST! ️
December 2020: Consultation with transplant team who decided heart transplant would be put on hold due to COVID-19
March 2021: Health declined, and Kurtis needed immediate testing in Edmonton. The transplant team reinstated his active status on the transplant list
March 2021: Air ambulance to Edmonton for heart transplant (surgery did not proceed and Kurtis returned home)
Present- Home and awaiting the next transplant call.
*These dates do not include countless appointments, procedures, emergency trips, hospital visits/stays to Regina and Edmonton, and endless paperwork.
The last few years have been difficult. Kurtis’ energy levels have been low, especially when recovering from surgery, and Katie and Kurtis have been raising Nora (age 3) and Linkin (age 5) while also looking out for Kurt’s health. It has been a long road dealing with extra complications related to the liver, lungs, and kidneys, and has required various medications and procedures. Every time there is a complication (and there have been many), Katie needs to take Kurtis to Regina or Edmonton. These trips include all kinds of stress with travel, health, child-care, time off work, and finances.
Kurtis has been unable to work for 2.5 years, and his benefits are no longer applicable. When he receives the transplant, Katie, the sole provider, will need to take some extended time off work to help him recover. While they are grateful for the care he has been provided and the costs that have been covered, the treatment, drugs, and recovery continue to be costly. We are hoping to provide community support for Kurtis, Katie, Linkin, and Nora so that they might focus on the recovery when the heart transplant takes place. Anything that can be given, no matter how small the amount, will be thankfully received with grateful hearts.
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If you want to read more about Kurtis’ heart journey, please read below:
Kurtis Harrower’s heart problems started as soon as he was born. At 2 months old, he had open-heart surgery to repair a coarctation of the aorta and pulmonary banding. (Think of this as a garden hose with a kink in it, the blood is not flowing properly because it’s restricted.) This surgery fixed some immediate problems but not the overall issue. When he turned 3 years old, he had another open-heart operation to remove the pulmonary banding and repair three holes in his heart. It was a long road to recovery for himself and for his family; but since that point Kurtis had been free from any heart problems for over 25 years.
The following timeline outlines Kurtis’ heart journey over the last seven years:
September 2015: Kurtis suffering from some abdominal and chest pain at work, testing begins
June 2016: Open heart surgery to repair his tricuspid valve
November 2017: Open heart surgery to repair tricuspid valve (again) and place an annuloplasty ring
November 2018: Air ambulance to Edmonton because of congestive heart failure. Family receives news that surgery will not fix his heart because it is dying. First time meeting transplant team that concludes they will alter medication and closely monitor for future heart transplant
2019: Doctor appointments, emergency room visits, tests, AFib procedure, and longer hospital stays
February 2020: Hospital stay in Edmonton for first consultation to discuss the possibility of heart transplant
July 2020: Hospital stay in Edmonton (two separate occasions) to do back-to-back weeks' worth of testing. The family was told…
KURTIS WAS ACCEPTED FOR A HEART TRANSPLANT AND PUT ON THE LIST! ️
December 2020: Consultation with transplant team who decided heart transplant would be put on hold due to COVID-19
March 2021: Health declined, and Kurtis needed immediate testing in Edmonton. The transplant team reinstated his active status on the transplant list
March 2021: Air ambulance to Edmonton for heart transplant (surgery did not proceed and Kurtis returned home)
Present- Home and awaiting the next transplant call.
*These dates do not include countless appointments, procedures, emergency trips, hospital visits/stays to Regina and Edmonton, and endless paperwork.
Organizer and beneficiary
Heather Gower
Organizer
Katie Harrower
Beneficiary
