Helping Hand for Bonnie Peterson & Family

Doug Connelly is a hard-working Home Improvement contractor.   In Feb 2018, Doug at 57 years old, he suffered 3 heart attacks in 1 day.  This type heart attack is nicknamed the widow maker.   By the grace of God, he survived.  The symptoms did not present as a heart attack due to his diabetes.   At first, he thought he had indigestion, then he thought he had the flu.   He went to the ER and was diagnosed with Pneumonia, as it turned out a few days later he was in congestive heart failure.   The diagnosis was very grim, no stents, no bypass surgery.  Too much damage and not enough healthy muscle.   The only option, heart transplant.   He has been under the care of Dr. Jaiswal, heart failure specialist at Hartford Hospital.   The medicines he has been on have allowed him to lead a fairly regular lifestyle.  Knowing all along he will only get worse.   His future included an IV drip then on to a LVAD, a mechanical pump with tubes and batteries to keep him alive until he was sick enough to be highest on the transplant list.   Hartford Hospital recently brought in Dr. Ali from Yale.  Dr.  Ali is getting hearts for people before they get to the point they are on the pump and even bedridden.

On Thursday July 16, in the middle of the night, the phone rang and the news that a heart was available.

Doug now has a new heart.  He is currently doing great.  He has a long road ahead, but a bright future, and a long life.  


We are trying to help one of our longtime Napoli family members Bonnie Peterson whose partner Doug has gone through a miracle of life and been gifted a brand-new heart.  Unfortunately going through this traumatic experience is difficult in and of itself but going through this during COVID has proven to be an even bigger challenge.  We would like to come together as an even bigger family and reach out to all of our family and friends to help a wonderful family in these upcoming months.