Support Chantal's Heart Transplant Journey

Hi, my name is Nadine Pelletier and I am starting this GoFundMe for my sister Chantal Pelletier (with her permission).

Unfortunately, Chantal began not feeling well. After about a week of it not getting better and her developing some stomach issues and pain, our mom brought her to the Grand Falls hospital where it was determined that she had gallbladder issues and that she needed to go to Edmunston right away. A day or two later, they removed her gallbladder, but her symptoms didn't dissipate and they noticed that she had been retaining fluid. After giving her an echo, they confirmed that she needed cardiac care.

They air lifted her to a hospital in Quebec City where they proceeded to run a variety of cardiac testing. Unfortunately, they have diagnosed Chantal with Dilated Cardiomyopathy and have confirmed that her heart is only functioning at 10% (if that, they said). Her heart is the size of a football. They are trying to see if her body will respond to the medications, but they're also having the transplant team come and talk to her soon just so they have a plan if the meds don't work.

Despite all of this, Chantal is doing an amazing job with coping with all of these sudden changes. For those who are unaware, I had a very similar experience in 2010-2012, so some of us are suspicious of genetic causation but we don't know much yet. It's kind of a day by day waiting game right now.

This isn't going to be an easy fix. She won't be able to go to school or work for a while. These funds will go directly to Chantal to help cover her bills and any costs associated with getting her the best treatment. Every little bit is appreciated, and I want to thank the community of support that our family has.

TLDR: I'm fundraising for my sister, Chantal, who very suddenly was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopthy so her heart is functioning at or below 10%. Please help if you are able!

For those who don't want to contribute through GoFundMe, you're welcome to e-transfer me. Just reach out to me and I'll send you may email address. All funds received will be sent to Chantal.

Update #1:

Chantal is currently in the ICU. The good news is the cardiologists in Quebec have drained 7 litres of fluid from Chantal and she's finally breathing and eating easier, and working on slow movement with a physical therapist to help her gain strength before surgery. However, they have determined that

Chantal's heart is not recoverable and she will need a heart transplant.

Plan A: They are trying to improve the right side of her heart with medication to make her a candidate for a mechanical heart (left ventricle assistance device or LVAD). This will buy her time whereas she's so young, enable her to build up her strength prior to the transplant, and will keep her stabilized while they find her an excellent match for transplant.

Plan B: If the right side of Chantal's heart stops improving or Chantal's health rapidly declines, they will need to enlist her in the transplant list relatively soon.

Either way, Chantal will be undergoing major open heart surgery relatively soon with a 6 to 12 month recovery time. During that time, she needs a caregiver (our mom right now) to live with her in Quebec, and she'll need money to pay rent, get healthy food, get taxis to appointments, buy her expensive medications and bandages for outpatient bandage changes should there be a laspe in coverage through our parents' insurance, and any other medical tools she'll now need (like a blood pressure cuff, a scale, a thermometer, etc).

Causation: Although nothing has been confirmed yet, we have reason to suspect that Chantal, myself, and my paternal uncle are all carriers of a specific genetic variation whereas we all developed dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) after contracting a virus that activated the gene. Doctors are continuing to investigate.

More news as we receive it.