Support Scott's Heart Recovery Journey

Hi! Scott's daughter here! As many of you know, my dad had his first major heart attack 24 years ago at only 34 years old. Since then, he's had 10 more, been diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), underwent a triple bypass surgery in April 2017, received an A-Fib diagnosis in May 2024, and now, the latest cardiovascular adventure: Ventricular Tachycardia (V-Tach), which we are told is caused by the extensive scar tissue that first formed 20+ years ago. It's not really fair for one person to have to be so resilient, but Dad takes that trait very seriously!

At 1:30am Christmas morning here in LA, I woke up to a series of loud noises to find my dad unconscious on the floor. He'd been visiting for the holidays and we'd spent Christmas Eve night playing Scrabble, having our annual father-daughter argument (great timing!), and watching Jim Carrey steal from the children of Whoville. He'd been completely fine -- until he wasn't.

The following hours were horrendous. When the paramedics arrived, my dad's heart rate was at 235 and wouldn't come down. He was in and out of consciousness, in a tremendous amount of pain, and experiencing (what I now know was) convulsive syncope, which causes the body to seize uncontrollably.

The first responders called for backup and raced him to the ER in time for his heart to be shocked, and for him to be taken into the Cath Lab. We are so grateful to Fire Station 35! The cardiologist on call, as well as the electrophysiologist on Dad's care team, both agreed that Dad should not leave the hospital without receiving an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD). We have been told that V-Tach always reoccurs, whether in two months or three years. The ICD is a life-saving measure.

After navigating emergency Medicaid options, Dad is receiving his ICD today, December 30, 2024 (we love the state of California). The procedure is relatively simple and is even done with a local anesthetic / sedative vs. general anesthesia. The most pressing next steps will simply be focusing on rest, recovery, and adjusting to life with a little computer sewn into his chest! *Alexa, play The Jetsons theme song*

This is where I turn to my incredible community--and dad's friends and loved ones!--to ask for support to help him focus on his health. This fall, after living in Colorado for a few years working for a solar energy company, my dad moved back to Tennessee to help my grandparents. He returned to doing manual labor and odd jobs for income, and now -- he's not sure what that will look like moving forward.

ICD recovery entails not lifting his arm above his shoulder and of course avoiding carrying/lifting/pushing/pulling. There's also the question of what types of power tools are safe to use with an ICD and much of my dad's current income streams had revolved around, you guessed it, using power tools! So it goes.

Right now, I am here to ask for help with 8-10 weeks of expenses so that my dad has time to focus on rest and look ahead versus panicking over January and February's bills. For reference, Dad is prescribed both Eloquis (helps decrease stroke / blood clot risk) and Farxiga (helps with congestive heart failure); these are both technically considered experimental, do not have generics, and cost over $800 each per month *with* insurance. That's not a typo -- combined, they alone cost more than $1600 each month.

His other meds combined cost about $80 (thank you, generics!) and his monthly premium for the crappiest health insurance plan on the market is $750.

That's $2,430/month JUST for direct healthcare costs and does not include co-pays for follow-up visits ($50 for a PCP, $100 for a cardiologist), cell phone bill, car payment, car insurance, credit card payments, healthy groceries, gas, etc.

As we all know, existing in this country is expensive. Falling behind means that much more stress and only begets more debt and expenses in the long run, making it nearly impossible to actually catch up and to be able to focus on health. I wish someone would walk up to me tomorrow and offer me a multi-million dollar book deal and that I could just take care of everything myself, but alas, it's not likely (yet).

We would be so incredibly appreciative if you could donate even the smallest amount, or just share with your network. If you know my dad, you know that he's relentlessly hardworking (maybe TOO hardworking), generous, hilarious, and really does deserve a bit of a break (like so many others). He's been my number #1 champion my entire life--even as he's faced so much--and I hope we can help him take a moment to get back on his feet.

Thank you so much for being here. Love you!