Emily Progin, Content Manager
eprogin@helphopelive.org / 800.642.8399
Release: Immediate
COMMUNITY HELPING MOM OF 5 WHO NEEDS A NEW HEART
Fundraising Helps Tashawna Shepard After Rare Postpartum Heart Failure
ORLANDO, Fla.—Just two weeks after giving birth to her first baby boy, her fifth child, in September, Tashawna Shepard received a rare heart failure diagnosis. She now needs a heart transplant to survive. Her community is rallying to help her with a fundraising campaign through the trusted national nonprofit Help Hope Live.
In September 2023, Tashawna Shepard welcomed her fifth child—her first baby boy, named after her husband, Brandon. Two weeks after delivery, she began experiencing sharp pains in her back. Her husband took her to Orlando Hospital where she was immediately admitted.
Tashawna was given a rare diagnosis: postpartum cardiomyopathy. This rare heart failure diagnosis impacts just one in 1 million women. Her heart is now pumping at just 5-10% of normal functioning. Tashawna will need a heart transplant to survive.
A licensed CNA, Tashawna has been married for ten years and is a dedicated mother to 18-year-old Ny’Asia, 17-year-old Breon’na, 15-year-old Tuenisha, and 6-year-old Ne’Aira in addition to 5-month-old Brandon. Tashawna loves spending time with her family, dancing, singing, cooking, and arts and crafts. She is a member of New Beginnings Church.
The diagnosis was an unexpected medical crisis during a joyful and gratitude-filled moment.
“Having given birth to our first baby boy, life just sent family a blessing,” explained Tashawna. “It hurts to sit and wonder if you are going to be able to see any of your children grow up.”
A heart transplant will be a miracle in Tashawna’s life, one that allows her “to have hope all over again—to live a new life with a chance to keep spreading my love.”
While life-saving, a heart transplant is extremely expensive, and insurance won’t cover all the associated costs. That’s why loved ones have turned to the trusted national nonprofit Help Hope Live to start a fundraising campaign and support Tashawna’s family.
Donations can be made at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/23077/
Unlike a GoFundMe campaign, donations to Help Hope Live are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be managed by the nonprofit to cover verified medical and related expenses. Help Hope Live verifies medical and financial need for every patient.
Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in secure, tax-deductible fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $181 million to pay patient expenses. ###
Written by Emily Progin
