Bill Carey “Mr Bill” Heart Transplant Fundraiser
Donation protected
Hello Everyone my name is Jennifer Carey Routhier and I am the oldest daughter of Bill Carey “Mr Bill” formerly of Augusta, Maine, Englewood Beach, Florida and currently residing in Tishomingo, Mississippi. We are currently fundraising for our Dad and wanted you to hear his story in his words, then ours.
From Dad…
Hello Everyone, this is Bill Carey aka “Mr Bill“
To most of you reading this now you have either heard recently or have known about the struggles I have had since 2015 with my heart. I developed a Mutated Heart disease called HCM “ Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy “(Enlarged Heart) along with AFIB and Atrial and Ventricular Tachycardia. In 2015 the Drs up in Boston at Brigham & Woman’s Hospital were able to implant a Defibrillator along with multiple Ablation Procedures to stabilize my heart. The defibrillator did its job over the next 5 years restarting my heart from time to time as needed. The Dr’s had warned us that this could rear its ugly head back up in the future… Fast forward to 2020 and the COVID Pandemic. I had caught the initial strain of COVID back in February of 2020 in Florida, It triggered a severe Heart Attack and landed me in ICU Isolation Unit, Intubated and given last rites. Miraculously God wasn’t ready for me and the Devil didn’t claim me and I recovered…. so we thought??? I started developing SCA “Sudden Cardiac Arrest” that is where my heart would take off without warning on a rapid pace of 230 BPM and then suddenly shut off completely and I would drop dead only to have my Defibrillator restart my heart. Let me tell you Folks that being hit by that Defibrillator is probably one of the worst events of pain you can ever imagine. I was dealing with this so often that I burned up 2 Defibrillators in a 3 year period and now have my 3rd device embedded in my chest. This is not normal to have had 3 devices in 7 years and my Dream Team of Cardiologists at both Vanderbilt Medical in Nashville, Tennessee and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota had determined that no more Ablations or drastic Heart Surgeries were going to stop the slow decline of my Heart functioning. As a last Hail Mary I had volunteered to do some Drug Trials at the request of the Dream Team to no avail. A decision was made in August 2023 by all parties to pursue the option of a Heart Transplant after all options were exhausted. I was required to spend 3 days at Vanderbilt Medical in Nashville, Tennessee 2 weeks ago doing extensive Heart Transplant Evaluation tests, procedures and consultations. This is done to basically “VET” the potential candidate Socially, Psychologically, and Physically for such a precious gift of a Heart Transplant. We were notified last Wednesday October 4th 2023 that the Vanderbilt Medical Heart Transplant Evaluation Team placed me on the Heart Transplant List…. Praise God ❤️. We have had a lot of people praying for me over the last 18 months as the quality of my life has so deteriorated. The hope is that a new/used heart will allow me to live a more normal life. However this does come at a staggering cost in excess of $1 Million dollars. I do have insurance that will cover nearly all of the medical costs, but the post surgical Pharma Costs for the the Anti Rejection Medications will cost upwards of $50,000 in the first year alone and the subsequent relocation costs of moving to Nashville along with daily transportation will be extremely expensive for upwards of 3 to 12 months post surgery.
Vanderbilt Medical mandates that any Transplant Patient agrees to these guidelines in order to receive mandatory rehabilitation care and health services. I have both Family and Friends helping to take care of our home in Tishomingo, Mississippi and provide 24/7 care in Nashville during my stay post surgery. I am writing this today to ask for your financial support in raising $75,000 to help offset the out of pocket post transplant costs. I have had so many of you reaching out to me and offering prayers and asking if they can do something to help? Vanderbilt Medical asks that ALL Heart Transplant patients setup a Go-Fundme page no matter what their financial status is. It demonstrates to them that a “Gift of a Heart” is shared by more than an individual, but by a community of Family, Friends, Neighbors and the Church Family. It demonstrates to Vanderbilt that you are not alone in this endeavor and also helps patients recover knowing that they are being supported. This is going to be a very tough and difficult journey for myself and those caring for me. People have asked me if I am afraid of dying or Scared? ? ? “No I Am Not Afraid of Dying” as I have already had multiple experiences of the SCA “Sudden Cardiac Arrest” since 2015 and had passed away and been resuscitated over these past 7 years, and I can tell you that “Heaven is Very Real” but that is a story I share in person and not as a posting…. Am I afraid or scared?? Yes… who wouldn’t be? Having my heart removed from my body and replaced by the generous gift of another soul is a huge responsibility. My life will never be the same folks but I do promise to treasure the gift and to share the love that heart beats out every moment for the rest of my life…. In Gods name I pledge this and in his son Jesus name I say…. AMEN Thank You for your support in reading this and prayers and gifts.
Love & Peace
Mr Bill
Now our words and those who know “Mr Bill”
Bill Carey aka “Mr Bill” has always been one of those people that you come across in Life who truly helps those in need and is genuinely the type of person who would give you the shirt off of his back or the last dollar in his wallet. One word to describe Bill is a “GIVER” of his time, wallet or his strong Irish back.
His amazing talent in growing huge gardens of Vegetables and Herbs have always blessed him to be able to share the bounty with family, friends, neighbors and strangers he meets. He has always been an avid outdoorsman enjoying Deep Sea Fishing and Hunting Deer, Moose and Elk, always sharing the harvest with everyone and anyone who asks him.
Bill‘s quick wit and constant Irish Smile livens up any situation or room he enters. His God given gifts of humor coupled with a gregarious larger-than-life personality, makes Bill a man who truly loves and lives life to make others smile and feel good about themselves. He is a true friend, always being considerate and genuinely interested in the lives of others—like how he always remembers even the littlest details about the lives of his friends, children and people he meets.
Bill has been a pillar in his communities that he has lived in over the years, and has impacted the lives of so many with his generosity and giving. Bill would do anything for his family as he is the oldest of 12 siblings and has 3 grown adult children and 2 grandsons of his own. He raised his children to always give back and share with others.
He is a Master Masón who does a lot of obscure charity work that goes unheralded and remiss of fanfare. His favorite holiday is Christmas… Bill has been dressing up as Santa for over 40 years giving both his time and resources to families and organizations in need. and a fun-loving friend to all who have been lucky enough to meet him. Out of love and admiration, we are asking for donations of any size to support Bill and his family through this difficult time. To us, Mr Bill is more than just a Dad and a friend, he is our Leader and Mentor. The world is a better place with “Mr Bill” in it !!! We are asking for donations to cover the medical expenses and travel and living expenses of relocation to Nashville Tennessee for up to a year for our lifelong friend We thank you for your support, please keep Bill and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Lastly, we will be setting up a Facebook Page for Dad exclusively in the coming days to share with everyone in an effort to update his journey and progress.
Thank you
Jennifer Carey Routhier
From Dad…
Hello Everyone, this is Bill Carey aka “Mr Bill“
To most of you reading this now you have either heard recently or have known about the struggles I have had since 2015 with my heart. I developed a Mutated Heart disease called HCM “ Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy “(Enlarged Heart) along with AFIB and Atrial and Ventricular Tachycardia. In 2015 the Drs up in Boston at Brigham & Woman’s Hospital were able to implant a Defibrillator along with multiple Ablation Procedures to stabilize my heart. The defibrillator did its job over the next 5 years restarting my heart from time to time as needed. The Dr’s had warned us that this could rear its ugly head back up in the future… Fast forward to 2020 and the COVID Pandemic. I had caught the initial strain of COVID back in February of 2020 in Florida, It triggered a severe Heart Attack and landed me in ICU Isolation Unit, Intubated and given last rites. Miraculously God wasn’t ready for me and the Devil didn’t claim me and I recovered…. so we thought??? I started developing SCA “Sudden Cardiac Arrest” that is where my heart would take off without warning on a rapid pace of 230 BPM and then suddenly shut off completely and I would drop dead only to have my Defibrillator restart my heart. Let me tell you Folks that being hit by that Defibrillator is probably one of the worst events of pain you can ever imagine. I was dealing with this so often that I burned up 2 Defibrillators in a 3 year period and now have my 3rd device embedded in my chest. This is not normal to have had 3 devices in 7 years and my Dream Team of Cardiologists at both Vanderbilt Medical in Nashville, Tennessee and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota had determined that no more Ablations or drastic Heart Surgeries were going to stop the slow decline of my Heart functioning. As a last Hail Mary I had volunteered to do some Drug Trials at the request of the Dream Team to no avail. A decision was made in August 2023 by all parties to pursue the option of a Heart Transplant after all options were exhausted. I was required to spend 3 days at Vanderbilt Medical in Nashville, Tennessee 2 weeks ago doing extensive Heart Transplant Evaluation tests, procedures and consultations. This is done to basically “VET” the potential candidate Socially, Psychologically, and Physically for such a precious gift of a Heart Transplant. We were notified last Wednesday October 4th 2023 that the Vanderbilt Medical Heart Transplant Evaluation Team placed me on the Heart Transplant List…. Praise God ❤️. We have had a lot of people praying for me over the last 18 months as the quality of my life has so deteriorated. The hope is that a new/used heart will allow me to live a more normal life. However this does come at a staggering cost in excess of $1 Million dollars. I do have insurance that will cover nearly all of the medical costs, but the post surgical Pharma Costs for the the Anti Rejection Medications will cost upwards of $50,000 in the first year alone and the subsequent relocation costs of moving to Nashville along with daily transportation will be extremely expensive for upwards of 3 to 12 months post surgery.
Vanderbilt Medical mandates that any Transplant Patient agrees to these guidelines in order to receive mandatory rehabilitation care and health services. I have both Family and Friends helping to take care of our home in Tishomingo, Mississippi and provide 24/7 care in Nashville during my stay post surgery. I am writing this today to ask for your financial support in raising $75,000 to help offset the out of pocket post transplant costs. I have had so many of you reaching out to me and offering prayers and asking if they can do something to help? Vanderbilt Medical asks that ALL Heart Transplant patients setup a Go-Fundme page no matter what their financial status is. It demonstrates to them that a “Gift of a Heart” is shared by more than an individual, but by a community of Family, Friends, Neighbors and the Church Family. It demonstrates to Vanderbilt that you are not alone in this endeavor and also helps patients recover knowing that they are being supported. This is going to be a very tough and difficult journey for myself and those caring for me. People have asked me if I am afraid of dying or Scared? ? ? “No I Am Not Afraid of Dying” as I have already had multiple experiences of the SCA “Sudden Cardiac Arrest” since 2015 and had passed away and been resuscitated over these past 7 years, and I can tell you that “Heaven is Very Real” but that is a story I share in person and not as a posting…. Am I afraid or scared?? Yes… who wouldn’t be? Having my heart removed from my body and replaced by the generous gift of another soul is a huge responsibility. My life will never be the same folks but I do promise to treasure the gift and to share the love that heart beats out every moment for the rest of my life…. In Gods name I pledge this and in his son Jesus name I say…. AMEN Thank You for your support in reading this and prayers and gifts.
Love & Peace
Mr Bill
Now our words and those who know “Mr Bill”
Bill Carey aka “Mr Bill” has always been one of those people that you come across in Life who truly helps those in need and is genuinely the type of person who would give you the shirt off of his back or the last dollar in his wallet. One word to describe Bill is a “GIVER” of his time, wallet or his strong Irish back.
His amazing talent in growing huge gardens of Vegetables and Herbs have always blessed him to be able to share the bounty with family, friends, neighbors and strangers he meets. He has always been an avid outdoorsman enjoying Deep Sea Fishing and Hunting Deer, Moose and Elk, always sharing the harvest with everyone and anyone who asks him.
Bill‘s quick wit and constant Irish Smile livens up any situation or room he enters. His God given gifts of humor coupled with a gregarious larger-than-life personality, makes Bill a man who truly loves and lives life to make others smile and feel good about themselves. He is a true friend, always being considerate and genuinely interested in the lives of others—like how he always remembers even the littlest details about the lives of his friends, children and people he meets.
Bill has been a pillar in his communities that he has lived in over the years, and has impacted the lives of so many with his generosity and giving. Bill would do anything for his family as he is the oldest of 12 siblings and has 3 grown adult children and 2 grandsons of his own. He raised his children to always give back and share with others.
He is a Master Masón who does a lot of obscure charity work that goes unheralded and remiss of fanfare. His favorite holiday is Christmas… Bill has been dressing up as Santa for over 40 years giving both his time and resources to families and organizations in need. and a fun-loving friend to all who have been lucky enough to meet him. Out of love and admiration, we are asking for donations of any size to support Bill and his family through this difficult time. To us, Mr Bill is more than just a Dad and a friend, he is our Leader and Mentor. The world is a better place with “Mr Bill” in it !!! We are asking for donations to cover the medical expenses and travel and living expenses of relocation to Nashville Tennessee for up to a year for our lifelong friend We thank you for your support, please keep Bill and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Lastly, we will be setting up a Facebook Page for Dad exclusively in the coming days to share with everyone in an effort to update his journey and progress.
Thank you
Jennifer Carey Routhier
Organizer
Jennifer Carey-Routhier
Organizer
Tishomingo, MS