Main fundraiser photo

Support for Billy’s Heart Transplant



On August 31, 2020, we received the call from Billy's team of heart specialists at Johns Hopkins Hospital informing us that all measures to keep his heart pumping had failed, and it was time for the next step; he needed a heart transplant.  Within 24 hours his name was on the national organ transplant list.  His doctors believed this would occur within the next 6 to 12 months, but most likely sooner based on his level of deterioration, leaving his family scrambling to sort things out in the event he remains in the hospital for months while he awaits a heart match.  On October 7th, Billy was admitted to the hospital to wait for his heart, as he was left with no further options but the hope of the transplant.  We hope and pray the progression slows enough for him to receive the donor heart and return home to his family as quickly as possible. Billy's recovery after the heart transplant will be a minimum of 6 months (if everything goes well), and he will be left with essentially no immune system, due to the many drugs necessary for him to take to prevent his body from rejecting the new heart.  

Unfortunately, Billy was born with this genetic disease- ARVC.  We were unaware he had it until he collapsed suddenly while playing basketball one evening with friends, and went into cardiac arrest.  He was just 28.  Fortunately, he was surrounded by good friends that were able to get him the immediate help he needed to survive.  The years that followed were filled with multiple surgeries, hospitalizations and drug therapies at different hospitals up and down the East Coast.  After several years, Billy and his doctors were able to manage the disease enough to keep Billy’s heart deterioration 'stable'.  He was able to begin working again in 2011 and returned to a somewhat “normal” life.  During this period Billy married the love of his life, had 2 children, and is the happiest he has ever been.   Unfortunately, this disease, which is relatively new in the medical world, continually progresses. 

This has all happened so quickly! Billy didn’t show any significant signs that things might be progressing, until this past July when he suddenly started feeling 'off' and gained a significant amount of weight (fluid buildup around the heart) in the span of just a few days. This left him incredibly fatigued physically, mentally foggy, and extremely short of breath.  Over the past 2 months, he and his family have done their best to adapt to this 'new normal'.  It has left him with little to no energy, making it difficult for him to play with his kids or even walk to the mailbox.  He is also not able to work while he waits for his new heart.

These funds will help Billy and his family pay the mounting medical bills and help sustain some sort of normalcy for his family, while he awaits a new heart, as well as, through his recovery- post-transplant.  We cannot express how much your contribution would mean to Billy and his family! 

Organizer and beneficiary

Karen Patriarca-Elliott
Organizer
Edgewater, MD
William Bpkid78@yahoo.com
Beneficiary

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