Medical/Recovery fund for Maria
Donation protected
Maria is a walking miracle. I am going to post some of her FB posts over the past two years to explain her story. She really needs our help right now and I know we all love her and want to help her get back on her feet after her heart transplant and other illnesses!
Thank you for helping me and even if I don't raise a penny, it means so much to me that you cared enough to help. I will never forget that you did this for me.
I am still sick with infections that require antibiotics and I am hoping they help me get well. I have good days and then I have setbacks, but I am hopeful that I will get stronger each day! I walked so much to get stronger that I wore my knee out. I am hoping physical therapy helps me avoid a knee replacement which has risks of infection and clots. I have pain and my back and left leg are still painful from nerve damage left behind after many back operations years ago which still affect my ability to drive and work. I pray I will get my independence back very soon. I take one day at a time and feel so blessed for each day I have been given. I have a wonderful young man's heart beating strongly in my chest every day giving me a second chance to live a full life. Organ donors save many lives with their selfless and heroic acts of kindness. It has been a challenge in many ways, but I am grateful! I am trying to get back on my feet financially, but it is hard while I can't work. I am fighting to get back to that place where I can work enough to support myself. Everyone has given love, support, and prayers which I believe are an important part of what has made this miracle a success. I am needing a little more help for the things I just can't save for just trying to keep my head above water. I need dental work done including crowns and partial dentures to be able to chew food. My hereditary heart disease and the medications have ruined my teeth & it is expensive to fix them to at least protect my heart. I also need special compression leg wraps that help control the swelling in my legs and feet so I can continue to walk and get stronger. I still have my furniture back in Tennessee and it would be great to have my things that mean a lot to me and furniture to be more comfortable. Friends have given us a few things and loaned us the basics to cook and live, but it would be great to get my couch, table, etc. I am making due. The vehicle I use to get to the doctors and for physical therapy and labs regularly is about done and I have sunk a lot to try to fix it, but the engine light is still on and it is a worry that it might break down with me and leave me stuck somewhere. It is hard without the heat or air conditioning because my heart makes it harder to regulate my body temperature. There are many bills we are still waiting to see what happens with payment. I am doing the best I can and i wasn't well enough to get help when many friends offered to fundraise for me. It is hard to admit I need help, but I am trying to do my best to get the things I need to help me stay healthy and not stress. I appreciate any help you can give. I hope to write my story some day and raise awareness about the importance of becoming a registered donor. If you are a registered donor, you are a hero already! We can't use our organs after we pass away and it could be a miracle for someone like me. It gives us time which is so precious.
I will keep going and I will try to find ways to get some things done a little at a time. God bless you all and thank you for making me a walking Miracle. It has changed my perspective on life and I see the little things as nothing big to worry about, so if I can raise enough it will help, but it isn't life or death. I have been given a gift already and that is more than many people will understand. Several people say how sorry they are for me with all I have suffered through, but the goodness I have seen from those who love and care about me still amazes me! Please don't pity me because I don't deserve it! You have carried me through this rough road and I thank you for not forgetting me. I care about finding information that will help others with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and also getting more people to donate organs and raise the success rates. Thank you for all you all do to lift me up as I go through this journey.
June 7 2016
I am very thankful to have made it to the eve of my 46th birthday! I believe in the power of prayer and I thank you for helping me every day this past year and before that by just being great friends. I owe so much to so many for keeping me going and pushing through whatever I have faced. I have goals & dreams of raising awareness for organ donation as well as fundraising for so many, like myself who struggle with the cost of surviving when we aren't able to work yet. I have a lot to still do!
I am home, but I have a wound vac in that helps get the infection out & brings the new blood to the surface to help it heal faster. The nurse comes every other day to clean it and that has been a little painful, but I hope I won't need it much longer. I am getting better one step at a time.
The gifts I have already received are miracles to me! My beautiful, strong heart that has gone through a lot & is still keeping me going! My family & friends who continue to show me how much they are willing to do to keep me here fighting. My best friend and the most patient, loving man I know...Dale! You give me so much love & support and you work hard to keep me thinking positive thoughts and fighting hard. I am so blessed to get to spend the rest of my life with you. I am blessed to have your parents love as well. Gifts I didn't ask for, but you all keep giving! How did I get so very fortunate?!
Life may not have always been easy, but it has always been a beautiful journey and I have learned so much from all of you who have made an impact on me. I will never forget how you have been here and shared your challenges & joys. You have shared secrets & painful things that have made me feel like I have it easy. Many of you fight to survive & nobody knows what you have made it through... Thank you for the privilege of getting to hear your life journeys. I pray the steps ahead are easier for all of you. This day is a gift because of all of you! Living in the present moment reminds me how much I have to be thankful for and looking forward to tomorrow keeps me dreaming of how many amazing times are still ahead of me. Thank you for your friendship. It & you enrich my life. God Bless you all.
May 9
I am finally going in on Wednesday for the subcutaneous defibrillator placement. Dear God, please let this one work correctly and only shock me if I am unconscious and to save my life. I am doing this because it is the smart thing to do and i pray God gives me peace at knowing this is only there to help me. I will participate in a research study to help improve this device for the next generation who require one. .Dear Lord, walk with me again and hold my hand so I can do this simple procedure I am scared to do. Thank you God for the strength that comes from prayers from family, friends, and people who don't even know me. Please give me patience as I continue to get better from this virus and go through the healing process.
Thank you so much for your support and prayers. There are transplant patients who have lived 21, 17, & 10 years and that is encouraging. All 3 are amazing women & 2 of them have been in the hospital recently fighting off a virus & dealing with kidney and liver issues. The medications that protect our hearts can be toxic to our kidneys & liver. They are strong and amazing ladies, but the heroes are our donors. Bless the families of all organ donors and living donors as well. Thank you for their selfless acts and for the lives they have saved, including my own. Be with the thousands waiting on lists for someone to be their hero. I am so thankful for all of the new friends this has brought into my life as well as how it has reconnected me with great old friends. Please allow me to ask for your help again....I need your prayers for my surgeon Dr. Athill and his team as well as for Dale and my family. Dale keeps me positive and reminds me of my faith and that this is faith in action. God has a plan for my life & I have been very Blessed by all that has happened so far, so I can't wait to see what He has in store for my future. Hard times can lead you to the best times in your life. I hope God continues to Bless your lives and gives you grace and strength to make it through those tough times. There is a light at the end of the tunnel...and, NO! It is not a train! It is Heaven and I believe in God's promise as much as I feel my donor's heart beating in my chest. Some would say that was impossible, but I can tell you it is very possible! I have been alive for a little more than a year with the gift of my donor's heart keeping me alive. If you have faith, anything is possible.
March 16
Update: Your prayers & my counting every milligram of sodium I eat & every milliliter of fluid I drink has made my kidneys improve enough that they can do an angiogram next Wednesday to see what levels the pressures are in my heart. They will do what they can to protect my kidneys during the exam. I also learned I was mistaken about the vasculopathy. I have it & it isn't like normal artery disease where it occurs in the middle & they can stent or use balloons to open them. This is a narrowing at the end of the arteries ( where they taper & end), so no treatment is available. We are taking a medication that is not FDA approved for this, but the only thing available to try to stop it from progressing. Some of mine are greater than 50%, which isn't good news. We are going to put in a subcutaneous defibrillator as a safety measure on April 8th. This is to try to prevent the deaths that occur when people with vasculopathy have deadly arrhythmias or sudden cardiac arrest. There is no way to predict what will happen. Some can live years with vasculopathy, some die without warning quickly, and still others start having worsening heart failure & need another transplant. I am only dealing with what is right in front of me today. ...which is chicken, parsnips, onions, carrots, potatoes, and peas...that desperately need SALT! Thought a little humor was needed there...very little!
Nobody knows how much time they have. I have tried gathering information to make the best decisions I can, but I may not have that luxury. So, I am still working on that let go & let God! I tend to get in God's way a lot, so I am trying to do my best not to over think and prepare for every possibility. I want to thank the transplant patients who are ambassadors and answer questions for newer transplant patients like myself. They help so much. I am working hard to get stronger for whatever is ahead of me. I know I am asking a lot, but you have worked wonders for my kidneys, so can you please keep me in your prayers and on your prayer lists for the procedures and the vasculopathy. God willing, I will celebrate my new heart's 1 year birthday on March 21st. Thank you for walking this road with me. You have been wonderful company and I was given the gifts of special stories of things you have overcome in your lives. You have reminded me of things I did when I was younger...good and bad! What a rare privilege to know what people think of you while you are still here on Earth to change & do more or cut loose a little. I pray you know how grateful I am that God placed you in my life to share some time & make great memories. I don't always know how to explain things I am dealing with, but I thank you for always hearing what I say with your hearts. Have a Blessed evening.
May 2015
I had another biopsy yesterday and it was another zero which is the best score I can get. That means there is no sign of rejection at all. I will get my antibody results next week. I am finally past the point where they have to do a biopsy each week and now they will be spaced about once a month with echo's and MD visits in between. My kidneys have not been doing very well with all of the strong anti rejection medications and steroids I am on to prevent my body from rejecting my new heart, but I pray that they hold out for the 6 months I need to take such high doses of these medications. I will be able to cut back on the doses after 6 months. I will also start Cardiac Rehab soon now that my sternum is almost healed. I am getting some strength back, but it is a slow process as I had gotten very weak prior to going into the hospital. I was in MICU for more than a month before I received my new heart. I am happy to report that the 2 people who were waiting with me have also received new hearts in the last month and both survived their surgeries and are doing very well! We are at the start of a very long road, but it is also an exciting second chance for each of us. I am thankful for each day I have been given. The side effects from the medications are issues with my vision, and severe shaking of my hands, which makes texting and typing very difficult! Lol I am sorry I haven't updated in a while, but it is difficult to read anything and being able to write or type is a challenge! Thank you again for caring and for continuing your support and prayers. I learned a little information about my donor inadvertently as my Chaplain didn't know that I didn't know about my donor and she told me my heart came from a healthy 27 year old man. This as difficult to learn, but I knew it was a young, healthy heart from the way it beat so strongly from the very first day. I will attempt to thank his family and him by living a good life and making the most of this chance. May God bless donors everywhere for the gift of life. Thank you my dear friends and those of you I have never met for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. It means so much and has helped me get through some difficult days. You are all angels here on earth for me!
Feb 2015
So sorry we haven't updated in a while. We have been busy! I am in ICU with a swan in my jugular vein to measure my heart function on a regular basis so they can monitor and change the IV meds as needed. The meds are working, although they are only a temporary fix. I was unable to talk or take even a few steps w/o being totally out of breath...I can breathe again! I Thank God for that every deep breath I take! We are trying to rebuild my strength while we wait for a heart. I am walking a little each day! The IV meds help my heart pump better. We have had a few offers of hearts, but they were too far away or I was behind local people also with my blood type. I believe God will help me hang on until we can find a good match. I appreciate all your kind words of love and support, but especially appreciate u all taking the time to pray for me and my family as well as the donor's family and donor. I pray for you all with the Chaplain daily & ask that God eases whatever your struggles & hardships are each day. Your support has been overwhelming and has humbled me...I am so blessed! I will try to report to Skip so he can post every few days & I thank u for caring & being patient. God bless. Love, Maria
Thank you for helping me and even if I don't raise a penny, it means so much to me that you cared enough to help. I will never forget that you did this for me.
I am still sick with infections that require antibiotics and I am hoping they help me get well. I have good days and then I have setbacks, but I am hopeful that I will get stronger each day! I walked so much to get stronger that I wore my knee out. I am hoping physical therapy helps me avoid a knee replacement which has risks of infection and clots. I have pain and my back and left leg are still painful from nerve damage left behind after many back operations years ago which still affect my ability to drive and work. I pray I will get my independence back very soon. I take one day at a time and feel so blessed for each day I have been given. I have a wonderful young man's heart beating strongly in my chest every day giving me a second chance to live a full life. Organ donors save many lives with their selfless and heroic acts of kindness. It has been a challenge in many ways, but I am grateful! I am trying to get back on my feet financially, but it is hard while I can't work. I am fighting to get back to that place where I can work enough to support myself. Everyone has given love, support, and prayers which I believe are an important part of what has made this miracle a success. I am needing a little more help for the things I just can't save for just trying to keep my head above water. I need dental work done including crowns and partial dentures to be able to chew food. My hereditary heart disease and the medications have ruined my teeth & it is expensive to fix them to at least protect my heart. I also need special compression leg wraps that help control the swelling in my legs and feet so I can continue to walk and get stronger. I still have my furniture back in Tennessee and it would be great to have my things that mean a lot to me and furniture to be more comfortable. Friends have given us a few things and loaned us the basics to cook and live, but it would be great to get my couch, table, etc. I am making due. The vehicle I use to get to the doctors and for physical therapy and labs regularly is about done and I have sunk a lot to try to fix it, but the engine light is still on and it is a worry that it might break down with me and leave me stuck somewhere. It is hard without the heat or air conditioning because my heart makes it harder to regulate my body temperature. There are many bills we are still waiting to see what happens with payment. I am doing the best I can and i wasn't well enough to get help when many friends offered to fundraise for me. It is hard to admit I need help, but I am trying to do my best to get the things I need to help me stay healthy and not stress. I appreciate any help you can give. I hope to write my story some day and raise awareness about the importance of becoming a registered donor. If you are a registered donor, you are a hero already! We can't use our organs after we pass away and it could be a miracle for someone like me. It gives us time which is so precious.
I will keep going and I will try to find ways to get some things done a little at a time. God bless you all and thank you for making me a walking Miracle. It has changed my perspective on life and I see the little things as nothing big to worry about, so if I can raise enough it will help, but it isn't life or death. I have been given a gift already and that is more than many people will understand. Several people say how sorry they are for me with all I have suffered through, but the goodness I have seen from those who love and care about me still amazes me! Please don't pity me because I don't deserve it! You have carried me through this rough road and I thank you for not forgetting me. I care about finding information that will help others with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and also getting more people to donate organs and raise the success rates. Thank you for all you all do to lift me up as I go through this journey.
June 7 2016
I am very thankful to have made it to the eve of my 46th birthday! I believe in the power of prayer and I thank you for helping me every day this past year and before that by just being great friends. I owe so much to so many for keeping me going and pushing through whatever I have faced. I have goals & dreams of raising awareness for organ donation as well as fundraising for so many, like myself who struggle with the cost of surviving when we aren't able to work yet. I have a lot to still do!
I am home, but I have a wound vac in that helps get the infection out & brings the new blood to the surface to help it heal faster. The nurse comes every other day to clean it and that has been a little painful, but I hope I won't need it much longer. I am getting better one step at a time.
The gifts I have already received are miracles to me! My beautiful, strong heart that has gone through a lot & is still keeping me going! My family & friends who continue to show me how much they are willing to do to keep me here fighting. My best friend and the most patient, loving man I know...Dale! You give me so much love & support and you work hard to keep me thinking positive thoughts and fighting hard. I am so blessed to get to spend the rest of my life with you. I am blessed to have your parents love as well. Gifts I didn't ask for, but you all keep giving! How did I get so very fortunate?!
Life may not have always been easy, but it has always been a beautiful journey and I have learned so much from all of you who have made an impact on me. I will never forget how you have been here and shared your challenges & joys. You have shared secrets & painful things that have made me feel like I have it easy. Many of you fight to survive & nobody knows what you have made it through... Thank you for the privilege of getting to hear your life journeys. I pray the steps ahead are easier for all of you. This day is a gift because of all of you! Living in the present moment reminds me how much I have to be thankful for and looking forward to tomorrow keeps me dreaming of how many amazing times are still ahead of me. Thank you for your friendship. It & you enrich my life. God Bless you all.
May 9
I am finally going in on Wednesday for the subcutaneous defibrillator placement. Dear God, please let this one work correctly and only shock me if I am unconscious and to save my life. I am doing this because it is the smart thing to do and i pray God gives me peace at knowing this is only there to help me. I will participate in a research study to help improve this device for the next generation who require one. .Dear Lord, walk with me again and hold my hand so I can do this simple procedure I am scared to do. Thank you God for the strength that comes from prayers from family, friends, and people who don't even know me. Please give me patience as I continue to get better from this virus and go through the healing process.
Thank you so much for your support and prayers. There are transplant patients who have lived 21, 17, & 10 years and that is encouraging. All 3 are amazing women & 2 of them have been in the hospital recently fighting off a virus & dealing with kidney and liver issues. The medications that protect our hearts can be toxic to our kidneys & liver. They are strong and amazing ladies, but the heroes are our donors. Bless the families of all organ donors and living donors as well. Thank you for their selfless acts and for the lives they have saved, including my own. Be with the thousands waiting on lists for someone to be their hero. I am so thankful for all of the new friends this has brought into my life as well as how it has reconnected me with great old friends. Please allow me to ask for your help again....I need your prayers for my surgeon Dr. Athill and his team as well as for Dale and my family. Dale keeps me positive and reminds me of my faith and that this is faith in action. God has a plan for my life & I have been very Blessed by all that has happened so far, so I can't wait to see what He has in store for my future. Hard times can lead you to the best times in your life. I hope God continues to Bless your lives and gives you grace and strength to make it through those tough times. There is a light at the end of the tunnel...and, NO! It is not a train! It is Heaven and I believe in God's promise as much as I feel my donor's heart beating in my chest. Some would say that was impossible, but I can tell you it is very possible! I have been alive for a little more than a year with the gift of my donor's heart keeping me alive. If you have faith, anything is possible.
March 16
Update: Your prayers & my counting every milligram of sodium I eat & every milliliter of fluid I drink has made my kidneys improve enough that they can do an angiogram next Wednesday to see what levels the pressures are in my heart. They will do what they can to protect my kidneys during the exam. I also learned I was mistaken about the vasculopathy. I have it & it isn't like normal artery disease where it occurs in the middle & they can stent or use balloons to open them. This is a narrowing at the end of the arteries ( where they taper & end), so no treatment is available. We are taking a medication that is not FDA approved for this, but the only thing available to try to stop it from progressing. Some of mine are greater than 50%, which isn't good news. We are going to put in a subcutaneous defibrillator as a safety measure on April 8th. This is to try to prevent the deaths that occur when people with vasculopathy have deadly arrhythmias or sudden cardiac arrest. There is no way to predict what will happen. Some can live years with vasculopathy, some die without warning quickly, and still others start having worsening heart failure & need another transplant. I am only dealing with what is right in front of me today. ...which is chicken, parsnips, onions, carrots, potatoes, and peas...that desperately need SALT! Thought a little humor was needed there...very little!
Nobody knows how much time they have. I have tried gathering information to make the best decisions I can, but I may not have that luxury. So, I am still working on that let go & let God! I tend to get in God's way a lot, so I am trying to do my best not to over think and prepare for every possibility. I want to thank the transplant patients who are ambassadors and answer questions for newer transplant patients like myself. They help so much. I am working hard to get stronger for whatever is ahead of me. I know I am asking a lot, but you have worked wonders for my kidneys, so can you please keep me in your prayers and on your prayer lists for the procedures and the vasculopathy. God willing, I will celebrate my new heart's 1 year birthday on March 21st. Thank you for walking this road with me. You have been wonderful company and I was given the gifts of special stories of things you have overcome in your lives. You have reminded me of things I did when I was younger...good and bad! What a rare privilege to know what people think of you while you are still here on Earth to change & do more or cut loose a little. I pray you know how grateful I am that God placed you in my life to share some time & make great memories. I don't always know how to explain things I am dealing with, but I thank you for always hearing what I say with your hearts. Have a Blessed evening.
May 2015
I had another biopsy yesterday and it was another zero which is the best score I can get. That means there is no sign of rejection at all. I will get my antibody results next week. I am finally past the point where they have to do a biopsy each week and now they will be spaced about once a month with echo's and MD visits in between. My kidneys have not been doing very well with all of the strong anti rejection medications and steroids I am on to prevent my body from rejecting my new heart, but I pray that they hold out for the 6 months I need to take such high doses of these medications. I will be able to cut back on the doses after 6 months. I will also start Cardiac Rehab soon now that my sternum is almost healed. I am getting some strength back, but it is a slow process as I had gotten very weak prior to going into the hospital. I was in MICU for more than a month before I received my new heart. I am happy to report that the 2 people who were waiting with me have also received new hearts in the last month and both survived their surgeries and are doing very well! We are at the start of a very long road, but it is also an exciting second chance for each of us. I am thankful for each day I have been given. The side effects from the medications are issues with my vision, and severe shaking of my hands, which makes texting and typing very difficult! Lol I am sorry I haven't updated in a while, but it is difficult to read anything and being able to write or type is a challenge! Thank you again for caring and for continuing your support and prayers. I learned a little information about my donor inadvertently as my Chaplain didn't know that I didn't know about my donor and she told me my heart came from a healthy 27 year old man. This as difficult to learn, but I knew it was a young, healthy heart from the way it beat so strongly from the very first day. I will attempt to thank his family and him by living a good life and making the most of this chance. May God bless donors everywhere for the gift of life. Thank you my dear friends and those of you I have never met for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. It means so much and has helped me get through some difficult days. You are all angels here on earth for me!
Feb 2015
So sorry we haven't updated in a while. We have been busy! I am in ICU with a swan in my jugular vein to measure my heart function on a regular basis so they can monitor and change the IV meds as needed. The meds are working, although they are only a temporary fix. I was unable to talk or take even a few steps w/o being totally out of breath...I can breathe again! I Thank God for that every deep breath I take! We are trying to rebuild my strength while we wait for a heart. I am walking a little each day! The IV meds help my heart pump better. We have had a few offers of hearts, but they were too far away or I was behind local people also with my blood type. I believe God will help me hang on until we can find a good match. I appreciate all your kind words of love and support, but especially appreciate u all taking the time to pray for me and my family as well as the donor's family and donor. I pray for you all with the Chaplain daily & ask that God eases whatever your struggles & hardships are each day. Your support has been overwhelming and has humbled me...I am so blessed! I will try to report to Skip so he can post every few days & I thank u for caring & being patient. God bless. Love, Maria
Organizer and beneficiary
Allison Mupas
Organizer
Palm Desert, CA
Kathy Boursaw
Beneficiary
