Tracy Elpers and his BIG heart
Donation protected
My name is Morgan Elpers, my sister Micah and I are trying to raise money to cover the medical expenses of our dad, Tracy Elpers.
(Written below is the LONG story of what has happened to my family over the past 3 months, and if you don’t wish to read the entire thing, a brief summary follows the asterisks at the bottom of this page!)
-When I was 10 years old, and Micah was 5, my dad had open heart surgery to replace a faulty valve (the result of a congenital heart defect). Surgery went well, and since then he has met regularly with his cardiologist to make sure everything is still healthy and functioning properly.
-In November of 2018, he started to experience some unusual symptoms like nausea and numbness, and severely negative changes in his usually extroverted, goofy countenance.
-On December 18th of 2018 my family started driving to Indiana from Colorado Springs, to stay with family for Christmas. My dad hadn’t been feeling well, but was cleared to travel by several doctors. However, on the morning of December 20th he began to rapidly decline and we had to rush him to the hospital as soon as we got into Indiana.
Doctors in the ER discovered that he had a large infection in the artificial valve in his heart and that this had caused multiple strokes in his brain, kidney and spleen. This sent his whole body into toxic shock.
They put him on IV antibiotics and determined that he was going to need intensive heart surgery.

After spending a week (and Christmas) in the hospital, the doctors determined that they were unable to perform a surgery as complex as what he needed, and that our best option was to make the 16-hour drive home (in one day) and immediately check him into the hospital in Colorado Springs.
-So at 4 am the next day we started our race across the Midwest.
-Later that afternoon, as we were passing through Topeka Kansas, relatives began texting us to tell us that the entire interstate between us and home was closed due to severe winter storms (this is actual nightmare material folks).
So we were forced to check him into the ER in Topeka, for what we hoped would just be a night...
However, the doctors at this hospital informed us that he was absolutely unfit to travel without medical support or without receiving surgery first (and they didn’t know why the other hospital had let us leave in the first place).
But it was New Year’s weekend; the insurance companies and doctor’s offices were all closed. We didn’t know if this hospital would be able to perform his surgery and we knew we couldn’t afford a Flight-for-life or ambulance without the insurance confirmation.

SO, after spending a week (and a freezing New Year’s) in Topeka, we finally got insurance go-ahead to have an ambulance transport my dad to Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs.
-We finally made it back home on January 5th.
-January 7th my dad underwent a 7-hour surgery. It was performed by an excellent surgeon and went miraculously well.
-He spent the following week recovering in intensive care and the cardiac wing of Penrose Hospital.
-This was followed by an additional week at a rehab facility at Penrose Hospital.
-January 20th (a month after being first admitted) he was finally able to go home.
Although he was allowed to go home, he still had to have 6-weeks of IV antibiotics to ensure that the original infection would not return to his heart.
And though the critical condition of his heart had been addressed, he had also suffered a stroke, the effects of which have become more obvious since the crisis has passed.
To this day he is experiencing the results of his stroke, and a neurologist expects it to be at least six more months before he is recovered (enough to go back to work and drive.)
***
We are incredibly grateful that God has allowed my dad to endure and recover this far, but after:
-1-month of hospital stays
-Major heart surgery
-10 weeks of IV antibiotics, and other medications
-Rehabilitation
-Follow-up appointments (now and for the foreseeable future)
-just the costs of life
The expenses are starting to add up.
Those of you who know my mom, Shannon Elpers, know that she is an angel that God sent straight to this Earth. And between a recovering husband, an out-of-home college-student, a high school freshman, and a job of her own, I know she could benefit from a little help. Even if she’s too humble to ask sometimes.
I have set this goal for $5000 but honestly anything to help our family and my parents would be an absolute blessing.
I truly believe that if any people in this world deserve back some of the kindness and love that they show every day, it is Shannon and Tracy Elpers.
THANK YOU!
“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” 1 Corinthians 13:7
Lots of love and God bless,
Morgan
(Written below is the LONG story of what has happened to my family over the past 3 months, and if you don’t wish to read the entire thing, a brief summary follows the asterisks at the bottom of this page!)
-When I was 10 years old, and Micah was 5, my dad had open heart surgery to replace a faulty valve (the result of a congenital heart defect). Surgery went well, and since then he has met regularly with his cardiologist to make sure everything is still healthy and functioning properly.
-In November of 2018, he started to experience some unusual symptoms like nausea and numbness, and severely negative changes in his usually extroverted, goofy countenance.
-On December 18th of 2018 my family started driving to Indiana from Colorado Springs, to stay with family for Christmas. My dad hadn’t been feeling well, but was cleared to travel by several doctors. However, on the morning of December 20th he began to rapidly decline and we had to rush him to the hospital as soon as we got into Indiana.
Doctors in the ER discovered that he had a large infection in the artificial valve in his heart and that this had caused multiple strokes in his brain, kidney and spleen. This sent his whole body into toxic shock.
They put him on IV antibiotics and determined that he was going to need intensive heart surgery.
After spending a week (and Christmas) in the hospital, the doctors determined that they were unable to perform a surgery as complex as what he needed, and that our best option was to make the 16-hour drive home (in one day) and immediately check him into the hospital in Colorado Springs.
-So at 4 am the next day we started our race across the Midwest.
-Later that afternoon, as we were passing through Topeka Kansas, relatives began texting us to tell us that the entire interstate between us and home was closed due to severe winter storms (this is actual nightmare material folks).
So we were forced to check him into the ER in Topeka, for what we hoped would just be a night...
However, the doctors at this hospital informed us that he was absolutely unfit to travel without medical support or without receiving surgery first (and they didn’t know why the other hospital had let us leave in the first place).
But it was New Year’s weekend; the insurance companies and doctor’s offices were all closed. We didn’t know if this hospital would be able to perform his surgery and we knew we couldn’t afford a Flight-for-life or ambulance without the insurance confirmation.
SO, after spending a week (and a freezing New Year’s) in Topeka, we finally got insurance go-ahead to have an ambulance transport my dad to Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs.
-We finally made it back home on January 5th.
-January 7th my dad underwent a 7-hour surgery. It was performed by an excellent surgeon and went miraculously well.
-He spent the following week recovering in intensive care and the cardiac wing of Penrose Hospital.
-This was followed by an additional week at a rehab facility at Penrose Hospital.
-January 20th (a month after being first admitted) he was finally able to go home.
Although he was allowed to go home, he still had to have 6-weeks of IV antibiotics to ensure that the original infection would not return to his heart.
And though the critical condition of his heart had been addressed, he had also suffered a stroke, the effects of which have become more obvious since the crisis has passed.
To this day he is experiencing the results of his stroke, and a neurologist expects it to be at least six more months before he is recovered (enough to go back to work and drive.)
***
We are incredibly grateful that God has allowed my dad to endure and recover this far, but after:
-1-month of hospital stays
-Major heart surgery
-10 weeks of IV antibiotics, and other medications
-Rehabilitation
-Follow-up appointments (now and for the foreseeable future)
-just the costs of life
The expenses are starting to add up.
Those of you who know my mom, Shannon Elpers, know that she is an angel that God sent straight to this Earth. And between a recovering husband, an out-of-home college-student, a high school freshman, and a job of her own, I know she could benefit from a little help. Even if she’s too humble to ask sometimes.
I have set this goal for $5000 but honestly anything to help our family and my parents would be an absolute blessing.
I truly believe that if any people in this world deserve back some of the kindness and love that they show every day, it is Shannon and Tracy Elpers.
THANK YOU!
“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” 1 Corinthians 13:7
Lots of love and God bless,
Morgan
Organizer
Morgan Elpers
Organizer
Colorado Springs, CO