Mark Worster's Broken Heart Fund
Donation protected
About two weeks ago, Mark started having some random strangeness. First, rapid heartbeat. Then that quit, but he thought was a pulled muscle in his shoulder. Then that stopped. Next was shortness of breath which he thought was vog or bronchitis. We did not know that he was actually having a heart attack.
On Monday, June 18th we went to the doctor. They immediately sent us to the ER. Once there they took an EKG and he was rushed one island over to Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu. Two stints later he was in a good mood and we thought he could come home in a day.
That night Mark’s heartbeat went crazy and he went into cardiac arrest. Three shocks later, he was back with us. They put him on a balloon pump to help circulate blood through his damaged heart. He was doing well, but about 12 hours after the balloon pump was removed he went into cardiac arrest again. This time it was 10 shocks and about 45 minutes of CPR. But he came back to us again. If anything, this guy is a fighter.
Mark now has a more sophisticated, external Impella pump installed, but it is only a very temporary solution. Today we received the amazing news that HMSA/Blue Cross will be paying for transport to Stanford Medical Center in California — he will be the first transport that HMSA has paid for in the state of Hawaii. We leave Wednesday. Once there, he will receive an LVAD (left ventricular arterial device) and we will discuss the possibility of a transplant. We will need to be in California for at least a month, and longer if it becomes a transplant situation.
I could have never imagined I would be typing this two weeks ago.
We are so thankful to our family and friends-that-are-family across the country and on our beautiful Big Island. They have kept us afloat, taken care of our girls (Miki and Nani), sent more positive energy and prayers than we ever anticipated, and kept our business in Volcano running. We could not have made it this far without them.
Unfortunately, this is going to be a long road and will be difficult both mentally and financially. The money we raise through this fundraiser will help pay for medical and living expenses while in California.
If you cannot afford to give, please do not feel obligated. We also appreciate your positive energy, burning candles, texts, phone calls, and offers to help keep our little business running in our absence. We are grateful for you!
Mahalo nui loa,
Mark & Lucretia
On Monday, June 18th we went to the doctor. They immediately sent us to the ER. Once there they took an EKG and he was rushed one island over to Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu. Two stints later he was in a good mood and we thought he could come home in a day.
That night Mark’s heartbeat went crazy and he went into cardiac arrest. Three shocks later, he was back with us. They put him on a balloon pump to help circulate blood through his damaged heart. He was doing well, but about 12 hours after the balloon pump was removed he went into cardiac arrest again. This time it was 10 shocks and about 45 minutes of CPR. But he came back to us again. If anything, this guy is a fighter.
Mark now has a more sophisticated, external Impella pump installed, but it is only a very temporary solution. Today we received the amazing news that HMSA/Blue Cross will be paying for transport to Stanford Medical Center in California — he will be the first transport that HMSA has paid for in the state of Hawaii. We leave Wednesday. Once there, he will receive an LVAD (left ventricular arterial device) and we will discuss the possibility of a transplant. We will need to be in California for at least a month, and longer if it becomes a transplant situation.
I could have never imagined I would be typing this two weeks ago.
We are so thankful to our family and friends-that-are-family across the country and on our beautiful Big Island. They have kept us afloat, taken care of our girls (Miki and Nani), sent more positive energy and prayers than we ever anticipated, and kept our business in Volcano running. We could not have made it this far without them.
Unfortunately, this is going to be a long road and will be difficult both mentally and financially. The money we raise through this fundraiser will help pay for medical and living expenses while in California.
If you cannot afford to give, please do not feel obligated. We also appreciate your positive energy, burning candles, texts, phone calls, and offers to help keep our little business running in our absence. We are grateful for you!
Mahalo nui loa,
Mark & Lucretia
Organizer
Lucretia Worster
Organizer
Volcano Village, HI
