The short story: My name is Dylan Pollard, and I am Doug Whattam's son-in-law. I am starting this LFEBridge on behalf of Doug's family to better provide care and support for him during this stressful and uncertain time. He has recently received a heart transplant and is in critical condition in the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at Toronto General Hospital, over 2 hours away from his home and family. The long story: Doug is 54 and has muscular dystrophy. He has been privately struggling for years. He has been on long-term disability leave from his job at Black Diamond for about 3 years. His daughter Judith and I had been providing what care we can for him at home while living with him, as have his daughter Bridget and ex-wife Cheryl. But his condition deteriorated rapidly over the past year, and Doug's heart failing him caused him to collapse at home in February of this year. Judith and I called an ambulance which took him to Kingston General. After tests and assessment there, he was flown to the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at Toronto General Hospital. Doug then had surgery to have a pacemaker and an LVAD (left ventricle assistant device - a mechanical pump) implanted to support his heart. After a few months of trying to recover in the hospital, his right heart valve began to deteriorate further, to the point of the doctors considering him for a heart transplant. He was quickly bumped to the top of the list, nation-wide, for a donor heart because of his condition. Two hearts were submitted and turned down in Toronto. The third heart was accepted and successfully transplanted on July 17th. He is in critical condition. He is currently on life support, 24-hour dialysis, ventilator, and in a medically-induced coma while he tries to recover. This fundraiser is meant to provide relief to help towards Doug's bills, and to help the family commute to provide care and support to help Doug through this ordeal so far away from home.
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