In early 2023 I had a serious heart attack. An echocardiogram showed two blocked arteries on the top of my heart. One was 100% blocked, the other was 50%. The result was significant heart muscle damage on the top front of my heart. The cardiologist arranged a stent to be placed in the artery that was fully blocked. A follow-up echocardiogram was scheduled for four months out. That test showed no heart improvement and produced a pessimistic prognosis for my future. The cardiologist explained that the type of heart attack I had would put great pressure on the lower chamber of my heart, causing an even more major heart attack typically somewhere before the end of the year after the first heart attack.  He stated that there was simply nothing that could be done. That did not give me much hope.

I began a study of research on this type of heart attack and any possible medical help that might be available. More than 25 years of research had been done in America on this kind of heart attack and the possibility of developing a treatment that could restore heart muscle damaged by such attacks. While progress had been made, there is not a current treatment in America for restoring heart muscle, though it seems that there is hope for the next 3-5 years, which would be too late for me.

In my study, I discovered that there were similar research going on in other countries. Much of that research came after the American beginning, but it actually helped the research in other countries. They were able to have the benefit of studying the early days of American research, including the progress and failures of that research. The other countries tended to focus on the most promising theories available, and also focused on fewer numbers of possible avenues of solving the challenge. For whatever reason, a number of other countries have brought stem cell research further than we seemed to have done here in America. Some of them are already using stem cell treatment in restoring heart muscle after heart attacks and the results are very encouraging.

After a few weeks of studying what is available in those countries, I have decided that I would like to take the stem cell treatment currently being done in southeastern Mexico. The cost of the treatment, airfare, hotel and food will be in the neighborhood of $15,000 to $18,000. My insurance will pay none of it. I was an active pastor for 58 years. When I came to the ministry, and for most of my ministry, the pastor was blessed if he made enough money to feed his family. Few churches offered any funds for retirement or insurance. It left us with the option of social security at retirement. 

I am the caregiver for my wife. This has been the case for the last year and a half. She depends on me. We live with our daughter who is 100% disabled from her service in the United States Army. She has two children in the home, both of which depend on me a lot. I am the family chef, the maid, and the laundry guy. I simply have no other option to live at this point other than something like the stem cell therapy. Please help me continue to serve my family.