It Takes A Village - In Support of Dave Wojcik

Shortly before Christmas 2005, Dave Wojcik struggled to lift his youngest daughter as he usually did.  Soon thereafter, he began to experience increasingly consistent sharp pain in his side.  The diagnosis was shocking – congestive heart failure caused by a random and improbable viral infection that attacked his heart.  As the initial hope faded that intense treatment might quickly reverse the damage, Dave, his wife Vickie and their five children now faced an uncertain future of managing his rare condition rather than curing it.  What began as weekly stays in the hospital once or twice a year, soon progressed to more frequent admissions.

By 2015, Dave was forced to quit his job as his family’s main source of income in favor of medical disability because his heart deteriorated to the point that he required a surgical implantation of an artificial heart pump (LVAD) to keep him alive while he waited for a heart transplant.  Because of the complexity of an organ transplant and the acute nature of his illness, Dave incurred more years of increased hospitalizations, both in frequency and duration.  Early in 2018 he battled a near-fatal infection for months and in the summer of 2019 ultimately required a second heart pump implant, this one on the right side of his heart.  While this pump initially improved his heart function, it unexpectedly caused his kidneys to fail and had to be removed within a week of implant.  At this point, Dave’s only option for life was receiving a heart and kidney transplant.

In July of 2019, Dave and his family were told he would have to remain in the hospital until a donor heart and kidney became available. Undergoing intense treatments and constant dialysis, Dave, Vickie and their family embraced their faith and remained positive.

On October 30th, after 110 days in the hospital, Dave was told by his doctors that a heart and kidney matching his rare blood type became available from a donor’s family. Dave told the doctors if they got him through the transplants, then he would do the rest!  While it’s been a rollercoaster ride for Dave and his family since the transplants, they remain STRONG and continue to rely on their faith and support of family and friends to get them through each day.

Because so many people have reached out asking how they can help, we’ve started a Go Fund Me account.  Any support you give is sincerely appreciated. The Wojcik family is extremely humbled and truly grateful for all of the prayers, love and support everyone has shown them. Thank you in advance for your donation.