Hello, My name is Todd and I am an independent hairstylist. Ive spent the past eleven years making people feel good about themselves and it been a pure pleasure, and by no means a job. In December of 2013 I had what they call the widow maker - my left anterior artery was 100% blocked. Thanks to acting quickly, and dare I say WebMD, I survived. Of course do to poor planning on my part I was uninsured, I missed a month and a half of work, but I was at least able to return cutting and coloring again. On September 2nd I went to see my cardiologist due to some discomfort and discovered my ejection fraction rate had went from 45% (a good average is 60%) to below 20%. This was pretty disappointing because I had completed cardiac rehab and was following a strict diet and excursive regime at home. The doctors I saw that day that decided immediately that I would need a heart transplant or a ventricular assist device. Ever since that day I have been living in IU Methodist Hospitals Cardiac ICU, waiting to be listed for a heart transplant while the doctors could monitor me. On September 9th I was approved by Medicaid for a swan port surgery and ever since Ive been listed 1A for transplant in the UNOS system. Im told because I am blood type A+, of small frame and in good physical condition otherwise a heart should be available soon. On September 16th things took a turn for the worse again. I was extremely sluggish all day and slept a lot which is unusual for me. The doctors doing rounds werent too concerned but thanks to an AMAZING nurse who went around them to the lead cardiologist I was immediately take to the cath lab for an intra-aortic balloon pump. I truly think if it was not for her I wouldnt be able to type this letter. As of this writing I continue to wait for a transplant, tied to a bed and using a catheter and bed pans to do my business. Hopefully a heart will come soon. The ballon pump I received on the 16 has a two week shelf life. The doctors are huddling right now trying to decide if I receive a subclavian balloon pump, which is a little more invasive, (its done by my transplant surgeon in the OR rather than in the CATH lab) but would allow me to walk again. This new balloon should also last about four weeks. The other option is a ventricular assist device. It has a much longer shelf life but also has many more detriments. Waiting for a new heart is in itself weird because it means for me to live someone has to die. Ive only been able to come to terms with this through prayer and the idea that I will give a small part of that person the gift of life. As anxious as I am to have the heart transplant, and 8-12 hour surgery, that is when the hard work begins. Pending on many factors I will spend the next 2-3 weeks in recovery. After that I will move back to my home where I have invited my mother (god help me) to live and help take care of me. From the day of the surgery it should be three moths before I can drive myself. Thankfully, while my dad still works, he has been approved for the Family Medical Leave Act and will be able to come to Indianapolis to give everyone a break now and then. From the date of the surgery the doctors expect it to take one and one half to two years for me to get back behind the chair, cutting and coloring, doing what I love most While Im at least mentally prepared for the transplant and have found health coverage through Medicaid and food assistance via SNAP (Indianas version of food stamps), I am still awaiting a decision on my disability status. If it does go through, as we expect, it will be about 1/2 of what Im used to making. Although Ive been warned multiple times it could take up to five to six months for the first check to show up. I dont have a problem living frugally, but there is only so much you can do to get buy. So I guess what Im saying is there a lot I’m going to have to deal with and if I could help alleviate some of the stress associated with the financial end of it thatd be a huge reliefe! If you can give anything from $5 on up thatd be really great. Whether you can give or you cant, if you could share my story with your friends and social media circles thatd be great too. I figure if enough people give $5 dollars I should be able to make it through the next couple years without worry and just focused on recovery. The easiest to donate is to head over to my GoFundMe/INeedANewHeart account. If this doesnt work for you, you could also get in touch with me at todd@hedoeshair and we can figure something else out. To help motivate everyone I’ve setup a rewards system for a donation of any amount. For every $5,000 we raise, I’ll spend a day at a homeless shelter doing haircuts for free, At the increments of $20,000, $30,000 and $40,000, I will pick a donor at random to receive any service combination they’d like, If we reach the goal of $50,000 I will let any donor choose how to color my hair in any odd combination (let’s say Carmel High School colors) and have the appropriate cut to match. If we surpass the goal of $50,000 and reach $75,000 or more in donations, I will give a donor chosen at random, free services for a year. Finally, If we reach our goal of $100,000 I will give a donor selected at random free services and products for a year. Thank you so much for your financial support, but even more so your prayers and well wishes. You will never know how much it means to me. Also, if your interested please feel free to continue to follow my progress at hedoeshair With thanks and love, Todd Shrider todd@hedoeshair 317-603-7282 hedoeshair gofundme/ineedanewheart
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 15:48:47 +0000
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