Help Ken Get Strong!

Backstory

Ken is a loving father to his two children, Tyler and Vayda, a beloved son and a cherished friend by so many. Ten years ago, Ken was a healthy middle-aged man. He worked hard and enjoyed what he did. In his off time, he was often out in the dunes with friends and family or making waves on the lake. Ken’s life led him to carry a smile larger than most and skip, literally skip, through life.

In 2009, Ken had a heart episode at the age of 43. Weeks later, Ken was diagnosed with a form of cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for your heart to pump blood to the rest of your body. Ultimately, cardiomyopathy can lead to heart failure. Doctors opted for Ken to receive a pacemaker/ defibrillator and manage a more restrictive lifestyle. In doing so Ken was forced into a medical retirement. Although life changed, Ken was able to watch his children grow and was able to slow down and enjoy his new norm.  

In 2019, ten years after his original diagnosis, Ken started to feel the effects of his weakened heart. Numerous tests concluded that his heart had indeed worsened and he was no longer able to keep off fluid (normally pushed off with a well functioning heart) and his ejection fraction (a measurement of the percentage of blood leaving your heart each time it contracts averaging around 60-70%) was at 17%. Doctors continued to try to manage the issue with no triumph. In July, Ken was hospitalized at Mayo clinic with the understanding that the medications the doctors were trying were no longer working. After a 10 year journey encompassing the insertion of an IMPELLA, a pacemaker, two electrical shocks and numerous medications, Ken was given a drastically reduced life expectancy. In January of 2020, after worsening deterioration his doctors rushed to get him on the heart transplant list. Only 5 heart transplants occur per day in the US, a mere 2000 per year, despite there being 4000 patients on the transplant list. The odds of receiving a heart are low, and therefore Ken and his family prepared themselves for a lengthy process but did not lose faith.

On January 17th after only 4 days on the transplant list, Ken was surprised to hear of a possible donor. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as doctors ran tests to ensure the donor heart was a match. To our surprise, it was a perfect match! At 4:00 AM on January 18th, he was rolled into the operating room, and at 11:00 AM, after a successful surgery, Ken, miraculously, had a new, healthy heart.  He is still in intensive care, with a myriad of IVs, chest tubes, and respiratory devices. Though the operation was successful, Ken’s recovery process will be long and difficult; there will be months of monitoring and rehabilitation, as his body and heart learn to work together, all the while battling increased susceptibility to infection and rejection. 

He and his family are taking this journey very seriously and are making preparations for Ken to live with his children during rehabilitation to ensure he can be closely monitored as his medical journey continues and his new heart gets stronger.

 

The Costs

Ken’s extensive medical treatment has tested his savings. With his medical retirement, Ken lives on a very limited income which will be stretched thin with the new cost of medications and medical bills not covered by insurance.

Ken's family will also be cutting back on their daily jobs to ensure he is cared for properly. Additional expenses include transportation, in home nurse care, monthly bills, the cost incurred with rehabilitation and a lifetime of medications that at the least will total out to $450 not covered by insurance.  

 

How you can help
 
Ken’s family and friends are banding together to help this amazing man however we can. We all wish we could alleviate Ken’s pain and suffering throughout recovery; that we could make up for even a mile of the hundreds of miles that Ken has gone for others.  However, much of this is out of our control. What we can do is lift the burden of financial worry, allowing him and his family all to focus solely on love and healing. If you are in the fortunate position of being able to donate, it is much appreciated. We thank you for reading and for keeping Ken in your heart and prayers. 

 

Thanks

We would like to thank everyone for your prayers and kind words. We thank the donor for his selfless act and saving a life in doing so. We thank and pray for the family and friends of the donor. We are incredibly grateful for the miraculous staff at Mayo Hospital- staff, caregivers, nurses, doctors and surgeons! We thank you all in advance for your generosity and will update you when Ken finally can get back to skipping with his new heart!

 

Thank you for your generosity!