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.
Everett
After Everett’s tenth ER visit for his increasingly severe episodes of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), he did not know where to turn for help. The 42-year-old’s physician, Dr. Terence Bertele, referred him to George Washington University Hospital. He learned that he needed a catheter ablation to return his rapid heart rate to a normal rhythm. Everett had always been the breadwinner for his family. He worked on lawn service machinery and did not have health insurance. GWU Hospital physician Dr. Marco Mercader performed the procedure and three weeks later, Everett was able to return to work. “I cannot thank you enough,” he says. “What The Larry King Cardiac Foundation did for me and my family means all the world to us.” Everett received additional help from a surprise source.
In another part of Maryland, an 11-year-old boy named Matt, who had lost his father to heart disease, began selling wristbands that say “Be Smart, Save a Heart” to friends and family to raise money in the hope that no other child would lose a parent to devastating heart disease. Matt raised $1,800 and sent the money along with an endearing letter to LKCF, as he wanted to do something to help someone else’s father with cardiac disease. Matt’s selfless donation paid for an entire cardiac procedure which helped save a father’s life.
