Merrill Kauffman

On August 15, our parents, Merrill and Sharon Kauffman traveled from Casper, WY, to Denver, CO, to have some comprehensive testing done on Dad's heart. On the last day of testing, the team of heart specialists became concerned with some of the results and advised that Merrill needed a heart transplant. A few days later, we got the news that a heart was available, and he would be going in for surgery as soon as possible. The surgery went very well, and he now has a new heart less than one week after finding out he needed one! He will be in the hospital for several weeks and then will need to remain close by for monitoring for two to three months. Thankfully, the procedure is covered by insurance; however, travel and lodging costs are not. While he has been hospitalized over the past week, Sharon has been staying in a hotel across the street from him. We are not sure where they will stay once Merrill is released. The area hotels have great rates for transplant patient families, but costs may still be close to $10,000 by the time they can head back to Casper. We hope to raise some money to cover some of these expenses so they can focus on the long healing process ahead.