Thomas Gentry

I had my first heart attack when I was 33. My 2nd heart attack came when I was 41. At that time, I had open heart surgery. After I recovered, I went back to work. Then one summer day in 2012, I was doing yard work and the 3rd heart attack occurred. I was only 52!
This one just about did me in. Since then, I have been under constant medical care.

In May 2016, my heart started failing again. This time, the only thing to do was to put in a port with an Inotrope drip running 24/7. We were hoping this would buy me some time. After a few weeks, it stopped working.

The next step was to try an Impella device for heart failure. That lasted just 4 days and had to be removed. The only option left was an LVAD, a heart replacement pump that runs 24/7 to keep the blood flowing.

That device is all that is keeping me alive until I can receive a heart transplant. Transplants are lifesaving but financially draining. Even with insurance, I am facing very high expenses including post-transplant medications, co-pays, lab fees and more.

To help offset such expenses, a fundraising campaign in Thomas’s honor has been established with Help Hope Live, 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 to the full extent allowed by law, are held by Help Hope Live in the Southeast Heart Transplant Fund, and are administered by Help Hope Live for transplant-related expenses only. If you would like to make a contribution, please click the DONATE NOW bar.

Thank you for your prayers, support and generosity!