James Hughes

LeRoy has lived with heart failure for 15 years due to a medical misdiagnosis. In 2007 he was diagnosed with bronchitis, but it was uncontrolled high blood pressure. After a year LeRoys heart enlarged and was pumping at 15 % unfortunately the damage to his heart was not reversible. He lived for 15 years with a heart that only pumped at 30% which is half of a normal heart, but new heart medications helped him live a full life. LeRoy worked around the house, yard, coached little league for his two sons, and enjoyed taking his family on vacations. His symptoms began to worsen a year ago and Leroy was diagnosed with end stage heart failure. Oral medications no longer helped his heart pump and his heart went into cardio gentic shock. His left heart muscle can no longer pump enough blood for his vital organs. He is now receiving a infusion therapy through a picc line in his arm that helps his heart pump. Mayo hospital wants LeRoy to undergo open heart surgery for a LVAD which is a heart pump. Unfortunately the batteries and driveline are outside your body.
LeRoy and his wife will be traveling to UC San Diego 5 hours away for a second opinion. UC San Diego believes LeRoy will be a good candidate for a new heart. He will be put in the hospital for a week and be evaluated again. We have already gone through a heart transplant evaluation and it is not a easy process. A year of travel to Mayo Phoenix has been hard emotionally and financially. But we believe this is not a fight we want to give up.
It won’t be easy and it will be the hardest time of our life. LeRoy wants his life back with his wife, adult children and three grandsons. He will not be able to do it without your help. The stay in the hospital will be long and we will have to stay in the San Diego area for 3 months for follow up care. Dolores his wife has exhausted her paid time off. She is his primary care giver on the family leave act. LeRoy also needs a second care giver in order for LeRoy to be listed for a heart transplant. As of now we don’t have one. A second caregiver is there in case his wife gets sick, is in a car accident or needs to go back to work to keep their health insurance current.
With your help you can help LeRoy receive a life saving heart transplant.

Leroy has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.

For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.

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