Help Paul Through a Life-Saving Heart Transplant

My name is Reilly and my family and I are reaching out during the most challenging time in our lives as we navigate my dad’s health crisis.

A little over two years ago, after experiencing his first-ever heart event, the cardiology team at UVM Medical Center (UVMMC) diagnosed Dad with End Stage Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. We hoped that with treatment – medications and ICD (pacemaker/defibrillator) – his condition would stabilize. Sadly his condition has instead become critical. As of December 2024, he will be staying in the Cardiac ICU at Tufts in Boston indefinitely until a heart becomes available for transplant.

We are lucky to have had robust health insurance over the past few years of medical issues, but my dad’s sick leave and personal time at work are exhausted. His job and the medical insurance our family relies on ends on Jan 31, 2025. Our short-term expenses are rising as my mom has relocated to Boston during his hospital stay, and the medium-to-long-term costs associated with a heart transplant are overwhelming.

Background and Recent Health Developments:

About ten years ago, after my brother Jack was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, we all underwent genetic testing. It was discovered that my father had the gene, but no indications of any illness. Fast forward to a little over two years ago… following a lifetime of being healthy and active, with no history of any heart issues, Paul got COVID for the first time in May 2022. This infection led to symptoms over the summer of extreme fatigue and shortness of breath, which were actually precursors to his heart attack in September 2022. Paul was ultimately diagnosed with End Stage Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. The following two years were a whirlwind of medications, side effects, specialists, and two ICD surgeries - none of which have been able to stop the decline of his health.

In the last three months, following a second ICD surgery to replace and reposition a faulty wire, Paul’s health started to decline dramatically. On Dec 13, 2024, Paul’s cardiology team at UVMMC shared his medical file and recent test results with the Tufts Cardiac Transplant Team. Tufts invited him to check in for a transplant evaluation on Dec 16 and after the first day transferred him to their Cardiac ICU. Finally, on Christmas Eve, the doctors at Tufts gave us the good and bad news: Paul officially made it on the heart transplant list and he will have to remain in the Cardiac ICU until a heart becomes available. All other options are exhausted, only a heart transplant can save his life.

He is now on the heart transplant list as a status 1, the most urgent. It can take anywhere from a day to 6+ months to receive a heart but the average wait time for his blood type (O+) is 2-3 months. The 24/7 treatment he is receiving at Tufts, including a Swan-Ganz catheter, an Impella, his pacemaker and defibrillator, his IV medications, and the talented team of specialized nurses, doctors, and support staff are now what is keeping him alive.

We have just today (January 22, 2025) received news that the doctors may have found a heart for Paul. We are cautiously optimistic that his operation may happen this week.

Paul’s Communities:

Paul moved to Stowe for the first time in 1981 when he met my mother, Etienne. After reconnecting in Boston in 1985, they moved back to Stowe in 1989 and have (mostly) lived there ever since. Paul has dedicated his life to the culinary arts and has touched many lives (and fed many people!) throughout his long career. He’s been a cornerstone of the local culinary community, including 10 years as the Executive Chef at Stowe Mountain Resort, where he was beloved by kitchen staff, lifties, and guests alike. For the past 18 years he has served as a Co-Food Service Director of the Harwood Unified Union School District, where he completely overhauled the menu and created a new locally sourced farm-to-table ecosystem of farmers, vendors, and suppliers, providing fresh and delicious food to generations of students who know him as ‘Chef Paul’.

As far as professional networks go, Paul is a 1985 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), and a Certified Executive Chef and proud member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) since 1991. He has also committed nearly two decades to the School Nutrition Association (SNA). Prior to working at ‘the Mountain’ and Harwood, he had also been the Executive Chef at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, Stowehof Inn in Stowe, and Cherrystones Restaurant in Boston.

Otherwise, I just really think that my Dad is the best guy around. He’s funny, loving, in constant motion but so grounded. I’ve never met anybody like him: he’s the hardest-working person I know. He still does more for my family than I think any of us fully grasp – not just for my mom, brother, and me, but for his own 90-year-old mother and five siblings who he calls every week. I am so grateful to have had his support throughout my life and we are all determined to show up for him the way he would show up for any of us – and has. I know we’re not the only ones who feel this way – so many people have already reached out asking how to help or contribute, and our family can’t tell you how much that means to us.

Why We Need Your Help:

The financial implications of this journey weigh heavily on us. The cost of heart transplant surgery is said to be between $1.3M and $1.6M, and that doesn’t include any of the ancillary, and very real, costs that have been challenging to quantify.

My mom has been wading through the bureaucracies of insurance, LTD, and SSDI and so far has secured insurance through Vermont Health Connect, applied for Long Term Disability Insurance and SSDI, and connected with friends and nonprofits to find free housing in the Boston area through the end of February and possibly beyond.

Even in a best-case scenario, with all these measures in place, we are facing a severe financial burden and uncertainty about how to manage both the reduction of my parents’ incomes (my mom will take on fewer consulting clients as she supports my dad day-to-day) and the increase in expenses – including private insurance premiums, deductibles, and copays, the extensive post-op care he’ll need, and more. As those of you who have been through this process know, one of the most daunting financial hurdles is actually the long-term costs of routine post-transplantation care.

How You Can Help:

To help cover these life-saving expenses, we’re aiming to raise $275,000. Every contribution will go directly toward medical bills, medical travel, and post-transplantation care ensuring that my dad has the best chance to heal and enjoy many more years with his family. Your donations will also help bridge the gap created by our family’s loss of income, and give us peace of mind so we can focus on Paul’s recovery and future.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Dad led a very active life prior to his heart condition – he was almost always on the move; skiing, golfing, mountain biking, and gardening were his top four activities. We are all hoping that his heart transplant will allow him to get back to the things he loves to do.

Your support, whether through donations, sharing our campaign, or sending positive thoughts, means the world to us. Anyone who would like to contact me about this or donate directly can use the 'contact' button at the bottom of this page (it won't let me give out my info directly!). And again, thank you, especially to everyone who has reached out to us directly already. You’ve shown us how much love there is for my dad in our community, and given us the courage to ask for the support we need.