Help Matthew after Open Heart Surgery

On Thursday September 9th, Matthew checked in to Hermann Memorial Southeast Hospital for shortness of breath, cough and fatigue. He tested positive for covid, his troponin levels were elevated, and he had a heart murmur. After additional testing they discovered he was in severe heart failure with an ejection fraction of 25% due to an aortic valve infection. Unfortunately, it was too late to treat with antibiotics and needed to be replaced emergently. On September 16th, Matthew underwent open heart surgery to replace the valve and is currently recovering in the hospital.

 

As you can imagine, this came as a complete shock to our family. He was a healthy, fit and active 24 year old who loved to play basketball. From childhood on up, he always passed his physicals, was never sick and did not have any underlying medical conditions. The cardiologists stated they had never seen anything like this before and according to Dr. Nahas, there are less than 100 documented cases worldwide. They cannot prove this was related to covid because they are still learning and gathering data, but one possibility is covid weakened his immune system enough to allow bacteria to infect his aortic valve.

 

Since his surgery, Matthew has made tremendous progress. However, after he is discharged from the hospital, he will require therapeutic testing for blood thinner medications, cardiology appointments, physical therapy and at home IV antibiotic treatment. This is where donations from family and friends can help the most. Any amount you're able to give will go towards helping Matthew during his recovery, extended hotel stays and the expenses needed to make trips back to Houston once he's moved back home.