NICK'S FIGHT FOR A NEW HEART

Nick's Story: On July 25th, 2015 Nick wasn't feeling well. He was coughing, having a hard time breathing, and extremely fatigued. He drove himself to urgent care where they evaluated his symptoms, the doctor ordered an ekg and x-rays pretty quickly. Those had come back pretty bad. He had a lot of fluid on his lungs and his
heart was extremely enlarged. They wanted him to get to the hospital ASAP. He went to St. John Main, where there they did a TON of tests, he was diagnosed with heart failure. His ejection fraction was just below 20%, a normal heart is between 55-70%. They told Nick that his case was beyond their expertise and that he would be better off at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

He was transfered there and spent a total of 35 days over the course of two months. He was diagnosed with Cardiomyopothy and Myocarditis. Doctors can't predict the course of this awful disease. He had a 1/3 chance at getting better, 1/3 chance at staying the same, and a 1/3 chance of getting worse (Over the course of 6 months, Nick got worse, his ejection fractioned dropped to 10%). Nick was able to manage his condition with lots of medication, and was sent home with an external defibrillator to wear at all times to prevent sudden cardiac arrest. Nick did well for a few months.

Nick was immediately forced to leave his job and had move out of his apartment and  back in with my parents for the care and help that he needed.

Beginning in January Nick started vomiting, he wasn't able to keep most meals down, he wasn't able to do a whole lot, a flight of stairs was hard for him to do. He began spending most of the day in bed.. his quality of life was declining tremendously. He was referred to a GI specialist for his vomiting. February 3rd, 2016 My mom and him were on their way to that appointment when he suffered a mild heart attack in the car, which led them to St. John Macomb. Again, Nick was too much of a case for them to handle, so he was transferred via EMS back to U of M.

This was the latest stay for Nick.. his heart had gotten so bad that he now needed an LVAD device.. it is a Left Ventricle Assist Device. It would mechanically pump Nick's blood through out his body for him. It is major open heart surgery and it would leave him with hardware and a driveline out of his stomach.. but this was his only option.. and it would improve his quality of life tremendously.

February 15th, 2016 8:13AM Nick went in for his LVAD surgery. We were told it could take up to 8 hours.. it was one of the hardest waits.

(We made the best of it, though)

Around 3:30 we as a family were called back into the doctors consult room. The doctor came in and told us that he placed the LVAD but that Nick's right side of his heart was also weak.. so he had to place a device on that side too. He explained that they do not make a device for the right side that Nick can leave the hospital with.. that he will have to live in the ICU until a new heart becomes available to him. Nick was immediately listed on the heart transplant list as highest priority, which is 1a for a heart.

This has been extremely emotionally and financially stressful for Nick and our family. My mom has been staying with Nick through all of his hospital stays, she has barely left his side, she sleeps in a chair next to his bed, showers at the hospital, thankfully it has been cold, she is able to use her car as a fridge for groceries. she is truly one amazing woman and mother.
While we are thankful for FMLA and that she is able to call off whenever she needs, she does not get paid. While her personal bills need to be paid, Nick is her main priority right now.

I have set this up to help relieve my family of some of the financial stress. With the loss of Nick's income, keeping my mom at Nick's side, the countless drives back and forth from Ann Arbor, the mounting medical bills, it has all become too much.

The road to recovery will be long and challenging.. We would be so grateful for any help at all. Please keep Nick in your thoughts and prayers! 

I would like to add that Nick has truly been a fighter, he is my hero.. I know my sisters and parents would say the same. He has been through so much these past 7 months, his spirits have always been high and he has handled everything thrown at him so well. He is truly an inspiration. I know that he will continue to do that through the rest of this journey.
Most importantly, PLEASE become a donor if you are not already.. Save lives!