“Support Josh’s Fight for Life—Heart Surgery Needed”

Exciting news just landed in the Duddy household! The team of surgeons in India has given them hope—they believe they can perform a life-saving heart transplant for Josh. In this crucial moment, your support could be the game-changer for Josh and his family. Every donation, no matter the size, is immensely appreciated. If you’re unable to contribute, spreading the word about Josh’s journey can also make a huge impact. Thank you for rallying behind Josh and his family during this challenging time!

Josh’s Story:

Josh was born with a rare congenital anomaly of the heart including Pulmonary Atresia, Hypoplastic Right Ventricle , Tricuspid Valve Stenosis, Atrial Septal Defect & PFA stenosis.

Josh had six heart surgeries as an infant and young child. After his last surgery in 1991 he went on to have good health and a fulfilling life. He continued to see a cardiologist every year and stayed stable and well for over 3 decades.

In the winter of 2022 Josh began to start struggling with energy and began feeling unwell. He kept chugging along, working full time and caring for his family - his wife Jessica and their 3 sons. By spring of 2023 he was getting significantly more tired and began feeling unwell but kept pushing himself along, still working full time and caring for his family. On the evening of July 27 he began to feel very unwell and went to the hospital with chest pain. He was experiencing atrial fibrillation and they were unable to get it under control at their local hospital. He was taken by ambulance to the Mazankowski Heart Institute in Edmonton. The next morning he was cardioverted and spent the next couple of weeks in the hospital, getting tests done.

During that visit it was discovered that Josh’s right atrium, which should be the size of a golf ball, was enlarged to the size of a stomach and could no longer keep its own rhythm. Josh was prescribed several medications to keep his heart rate steady but told that medication would not be able to keep things under control for very long. That same day Josh was also diagnosed with Fontan Associated Liver Disease. The last surgery that Josh had in 1991 was a Fontan procedure. One of the hallmarks of Fontan circulation is elevated central venous pressure which can lead to congestive hepatopathy.

Josh has sought out opinions all across Canada and in the US. It seems that there are no surgeries or medications that can manage his condition, short of a transplant. Josh needs a new heart. The hope is that once he gets a new heart, his liver could regenerate to some degree.

Unfortunately, Josh has been unable to get listed for a heart transplant in North America. It seems he has exhausted all possible options here and had accepted that he would be unable to get the life saving surgery he needed.

The Duddy family decided to try one more place- MGM Healthcare in Chennai India. His medical test results were sent to the transplant team there and much to the surprise of Josh and his family, on April 16th, just as they were falling asleep, they received a message from the team there, saying that they believe that they could perform a transplant successfully on Josh. A video appointment was set up and the surgeons there gave Josh the news he had been looking for, for over 9 months. That they think it is possible for them to successfully transplant a new heart and give him his life back! They said that it certainly won’t be easy as this will be an extremely complicated procedure given Josh’s medical history, his prior surgeries and the state of his liver. However, the team in India is incredibly experienced and have done over 600 transplants! They have even done 20 post fontan hearts like Josh’s!

Things are moving very quickly and they have asked him to arrive in India in just a couple of weeks time, so they can do their own testing and assessments on Josh prior to putting him onto the transplant list. Josh and his wife Jessica will fly down early in May, and Josh will spend 7-10 days in the hospital there receiving testing and making sure he is a candidate to get on the transplant list. Based on the test results and reports that have been sent to India from Canada, they do think he will be able to have the transplant - the doctors there just need to assess him themselves before he can go on the list. After the assessments in May, Josh will return to Canada to begin his wait for a heart. When he gets the call that he is getting closer on the list, Josh and Jessica and their 3 boys will return to Chennai, India, to continue the wait for his heart. The transplant team has estimated that as an international patient, Josh may have to wait 3 - 12 months to receive a heart, maybe even longer. After his transplant, Josh will have to stay in the hospital there for approximately 3-4 weeks, after which he should be able to return home with his family and have a new lease on life!

How can we help?

FOR NOW, the Duddy family needs assistance to pay for their airfare to India next month, as well as to pay the medical bills for the time Josh will be spending in the hospital there. Josh is not working right now due to his health. While Jessica is working, she will need to take off time to go to India with him.

If Josh is accepted and listed for a transplant, at that time the Duddy family will be dealing with a huge financial burden. In addition to the cost of the heart transplant, there will be medical bills for his time spent in the hospital there and likely a large fee for transporting the organ by plane within India. It is likely that neither Josh or Jessica will be able to work during their time in India waiting for a heart and during his recovery. In this time they will have many travel expenses and living expenses. Together, we can help in this extremely stressful and critical time and make a huge difference in Josh and his family’s lives. Any and all donations are very much appreciated. If you are unable to donate, please share his story in efforts to reach our goal. Thank you so much for your loving support!