Forty-three-year-old Michael walked into the George Washington University Hospital Emergency Room complaining of chest pain. The Washington D.C. handyman had no health insurance but was not eligible for any financial assistance programs.
Efundem
As a young girl growing up in Cameroon, West Africa, Efundem experienced migraines, often accompanied by blackouts. Her parents took her to specialists, who could not detect anything wrong. After moving to the United States to attend graduate school, her blackouts returned. During a general check-up, her doctor discovered she had an abnormally slow heartbeat. He performed an EKG, which detected a hole in her heart. Efundem's older sister learned the news and began researching heart disease on the Internet where she discovered The Larry King Cardiac Foundation. Knowing that her sister was without insurance, she sent a letter to Larry King pleading to save her sister’s life. Her information was send to Dr. Gerard Martin to review and her case was accepted. The 26-year-old student underwent interventional cardiac catheterization at Children’s National Medical Center to correct her congenital heart disease. Her recovery was quick and she was released from the hospital on the same day. Today, she is completing her graduate studies at West Virginia University. She is grateful to The Larry King Cardiac Foundation for making her surgery possible, and making her dream of finishing her Masters degree in Petroleum Engineering possible. active, healthy life.
