Amy's Heart Transplant

On October 15, 2021, Amy's life as she knew it was forever changed with one phone call - she was receiving a new heart. Amy had been dealing with the impacts of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy for most of her life, and in the past several years, she had exhausted all of her options. With a new heart, Amy would now be able to have more energy and stamina and do things that we all take for granted -- like climbing a flight of stairs, or walking through the store to pick up groceries, or carrying a laundry basket throughout the house without getting winded and having a racing heart.

On October 16, the heart transplant was successful. Amy bounced back out of recovery faster than expected - leaving ICU only after a few days. Amy hopes to leave the hospital by Halloween. Thankfully, Amy's family has excellent insurance, and her medical bills are mostly covered.

The next chapter will start soon - Amy will have to stay in Rochester, about a 3.5 hour drive from home, for the next 90 days to stay close to her transplant team in case of any complication. This means renting a second home for her and Jayne until she is deemed stable enough to travel outside of the area. The costs of maintaining two households, with growing teenagers, Matt, Brad, and Jayne driving back and forth to Sioux Falls and Rapid City to still work some and take care of the kids will add up quickly. Unfortunately, the family lost a steady income because Amy will not be able to work, and Matt will be working fewer hours so he can travel back and forth every few days to see his wife and his kids. Brad and Jayne will also be splitting their time between home, taking care of their grandkids, and seeing their daughter.

It's hard to face the reality that a major illness can put a family into a difficult place financially living in a great country, with both parents and grandparents having steady jobs, and giving back to the communities. But when one provider is gravely ill and needs to be receiving great medical care in another state, the expenses add up quickly.

Thank you for your support of Amy and family.