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In late April Jason developed a pesky cough that wouldn't seem to go away. He went to the Dr. several times, but it wasn't until Thursday, June 1 that things really turned. He started to have difficulty breathing, paired with the severe cough among a few other symptoms. On Friday, June 2 Jason called mom and they both agreed an ER visit was necessary. Jason's EKG was alarming and he was admitted for more monitoring and testing. One test lead to another and Dr's quickly identified that Jason was in severe congestive heart failure and his heart was functioning at 10%. His lungs were filled with fluid and there was also fluid build up around his heart. One of the major contributing factors to his heart failure was a bicuspid aortic valve which was determined to be a birth defect that had gone undetected throughout his life. In addition, his left ventricle was so weak due to the heart failure that it could barely pump the blood out to the aortic valve to filter through his body and his heart was dilated to 2x its normal size. It was determined that he needed open heart surgery to replace the valve. Jason's first hospital stay was 7 days and the team decided he could be released with a cardiac life vest while awaiting his surgery date of June 28. He stayed with Nathan and I and we had many special bonding moments, especially with Jason's niece Jo. She spent many of nights snuggling her "unc" in his bed while he rested. We made heart healthy meals, talked a lot, prayed more and anxiously awaited the approaching surgery date. Then on Sunday, June 25 Jason had a cardiac event and was transported to Abbott where his surgery was scheduled in just a few days. It was during this week that we learned more about his condition and the plans had to shift. Dr.'s identified many small heart attacks that Jason has had over the course of the years as well as small blood clots within his heart. It was too risky to do the valve replacement alone and the team started to explore the option of a heart transplant. It was quickly decided that Jason didn't have time to wait for a transplant so in order to prolong his life and give him the best chance at recovery, the care team at Abbott decided to do the valve replacement in conjunction with placing an LVAD that assists the left ventricle with pumping the blood out and into his body. In addition to this, Jason also has a left bundle branch blockage so will have a dual defibrillator / pace maker placed prior to leaving Abbott. Dr's created the plan on June 28, presented it to Jason, mom and I around 11am and said we'd like to do the surgery tomorrow, June 29. Jason's response was, "can we do it today!"
As many of you know, Jason has a zest for life. He has demonstrated nothing but bravery, grit and determination during the last month. He refuses to have a victim mentally, quite the opposite, he's a warrior and wants to fight to live life to its absolute fullest despite the mountain. Jason has a long road to recovery ahead of him. We don't exactly know how his heart will respond to the LVAD, but this will prolong his life and give his heart a chance to recover. If it doesn't recover, the team will move forward with a heart transplant.
As a family we are incredibly proud of how Jason is fighting this sudden health turn. It has been an emotionally sensitive time and we all have shed many tears. But each night we close our eyes with a positive mindset and hope for tomorrow.
Friends update on Jason. He continues to heal and is slowly getting his strength back. He is currently in Wisconsin with his uncle Chris. Breathing the country air is good for his soul. He will be back at Shannon’s for the holidays and hopefully will get his own apartment in January. He has an echocardiogram scheduled January 5th. This will give us our first view of progress in his heart health. Please continue to pray for him. His attitude remains positive. He is on a mission to heal.
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