I'd originally planned to do the background story in 2 installments. I now see that it will probably take a lot more, and it will be a bit before I can start blogging about real time sorts of things. So to my knowledge, sometime on July 31st, I was placed an the LVAD and it was determined that I would need a heart transplant. So comes the first legal complication. Wendy, my beautiful significant other, did not, at the time have legal rights to make any medical decisions for me. My parents, unfortunately, had returned from a visit to Los Angeles, so until my mother could make arrangements to return to LA, all of these decisions needed to be make via phone calls, as she made her way back to Los Angeles. Thankfully, the insurance company was cooperative and I was quickly approved for a transplant. The hospital that I was at, Huntington Memorial Hospital, was not equipped to handle a transplant, which left me with USC University Hospital or UCLA. UCLA has a very large transplant program. However, after Wendy did some research, and was able to find an open bed at the USC transplant center. I was transferred that afternoon. I should note that the doctors for attempted the bypass, and placed the LVAD, were from USC Cardiothoracic Surgery as they work out of both hospitals. Not long after my arrival at USC, it was determine that my heart was too weak to survive on an LVAD alone and it was decided that I would also need an RVAD (Right Ventricular Assist Device) Go here, for more info.
1 comment:
the staff at huntington, while we spent way less time with them than at usc, obviously, were so wonderful.
as we were leaving to head to usc after a long, long night at huntington, one of the housekeepers touched my arm while wendy and i were waiting for the elevator.
when i turned, she said, "i just wanted to let you know that we're praying for him." everyone in that hospital knew who you were, and they really cared about you. i'll never forget how much that woman's words meant to wendy and me at that moment.
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