Tammy Harper

Tammy Harper was born with a serious heart defect that required open-heart-surgery at the young age of 4. Tammy remained stable until her late 30s when she started to retain fluid and had difficulty breathing. She was going into complete heart failure and needed several surgical interventions and medical procedures at that time. Her cardiologist discovered that Tammy would then need a pacemaker, but unfortunately that did not resolve Tammy’s heart condition, either. Tammy was getting sicker and sicker and her health continued to decline.

Tammy never recovered from her surgeries and eventually needed a defibrillator and a second pacemaker. She finally received the telephone call that would save her life and received a lifesaving heart transplant on May 21, 2015 at Denver University Hospital.

Due to her previous heart surgeries that had required several blood transfusions, Tammy’s heart transplant was extremely difficult. The surgery was painstakingly long (over 11 hours) and Tammy suffered serious blood loss. She suffered a serious tissue injury and the need for yet a third pacemaker.

Tammy’s strong commitment to God and her loving family and friends have helped her through these difficult times. She has been married to her husband Gary for over 33 years, and they have selflessly raised almost 50 foster children in the Grand Valley. They have three biological children and many wonderful grandchildren.Tammy loves to spend time with her family and wants nothing more than to once again enjoy the life she one knew.

As a result of her poor recovery, Tammy’s husband Gary has been off of work for over 6 months caring for Tammy. Not being able to work has been a financial burden for both Tammy and Gary. Medical bills and out-of-pocket medical expenses continue to rise. Tammy is facing large deductibles and co-pays, health insurance premiums, medical appointment fees, and much more. She desperately needs your help.

To help with this financial burden, a fundraising campaign in Tammy’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the Midwest/West Heart Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. Your contribution is greatly appreciated.

For credit card contributions, please call 800.642.8399 or select the Donate Now button on this page OR:

Make checks payable to:
HelpHOPELive

Note in memo section:
In honor of Tammy Harper

Please send to:
HelpHOPELive
Two Radnor Corporate Center
100 Matsonford Road, Suite 100
Radnor, PA 19087

Thank you for your generosity, prayers and support. Any donation amount, no matter how big or how small, is truly a gift towards Tammy’s recovery.

Gratefully,

Tammy’s loving family and friends