Steve Hamblin's Heart Surgery

Hi, I'm Paige, Steve and Shirley's daughter. My dad was taken to Instacare on Saturday, September 17th. His blood oxygen levels were dangerously low, and he was having trouble breathing, so he was sent to the ER. Tests and X-rays revealed that he had heart failure. He was kept in the hospital overnight, and the next day he had an Angiogram, which led to more bad news. He will have to undergo triple bypass surgery as soon as possible.

My dad has spent the vast majority of his life battling the complications that come from having diabetes. He's had two kidney transplants, one pancreas transplant, and several other surgeries. My family has watched him go into convulsions from insulin shock multiple times, one of the most memorable being on Christmas morning when my brother and I were young. The doctor said there was nothing he could have done to prevent this heart problem he's currently facing - it's just another complication from diabetes. All of his previous conditions make this surgery more risky.

If you know my dad, you know what a truly great person he is. He's someone you can always count on to make you laugh. He doesn't hate anyone. He always sees the best in people. You literally can't take him anywhere without watching him become best friends with everyone he interacts with (or, even stranger, always finding someone from our hometown of Eagar, Arizona). Even at the hospital tonight, I watched him get to know the details of the hospital tech's life, and immediately after he did the same thing with the two nurses that followed. He loves singing and working on his ward's Christmas program every year. He loves dancing, which is how he met my mom. The only time he's ever REALLY angry is when BYU is losing. He's the kind of bright light that we need to stick around.

My mom has stuck by my dad's side through all of this. Every single surgery and recovery. The times he was on dialysis waiting for a kidney transplant. All of the tests and scares and injuries. It's been emotionally draining for both of them.

We're stuck in a powerless situation, but the least I can do is try to alleviate some of their financial stress, as my dad will have a long road to recovery full of medical bills and will be unable to work for quite some time. We're very scared and we don't know what the future holds.

Anything helps <3