Though her son, Tyler, is now up on his feet for at least short periods of time after his heart transplant on Saturday, some of his mother’s thoughts are with the unknown donor and his family.
“All we ask for right now, is for every one person that has been and is with us through this, please take one moment out of your day to send a prayer and a thought to the donor and family, they gave the gift of life to Tyler and I’m sure could use lots of prayers right now,” Marie said in an e-mail circulated to friends and family on Monday along with photos of Tyler standing.
“We have been back and forth all day, he looks fantastic, he has color, he has warm feet, no more blotchy legs and for the first time in I don’t know how long his body doesn’t rock with the force of his heart beat! The surgeon told us that the heart was THE perfect match!
Tyler underwent a heart transplant at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver on Saturday. The four-hour operation was a tense one for the family, but it’s outcome has given new hope to the family. Still, despite their joy at its success, Marie said they know potential perils still lie ahead.
“It has been a long road to get here, and we aren’t out of the woods by a long shot, we are hopeful that he will continue to thrive, but we still know the complications.”
Martin Ralph said his nephew Tyler has always had health issues but it was not until this past summer that it became apparent to physicians that he had major heart disease and that was linked to his other health problems. The only solution to his heart disease was a transplant.
There is widespread community support for this young man and a trust fund has been established
at the Revelstoke Credit Union to help him during the long year that lies ahead of him.
Tyler will remain at St. Paul’s for the next 30 to 40 days and then will be released. However, he must return to the hospital on a daily basis for evaluation and treatment for a year. He will be unable to work and he needs assistance in order to stay in Vancouver. The province does not cover this kind of expense.
If you’d like to help Tyler and his family there is an official Tyler Smith fund at the Revelstoke Credit Union. The fund has been set up to help pay Tyler’s expenses during the year he must live in Vancouver while undergoing evaluation and treatment at St. Paul’s. You can simply walk in to a member service representative and make a donation. Or mail a cheque payable to the Tyler Smith Fund to Revelstoke Credit Union at Box 989 Revelstoke, BC V0E2S0. This fund was set up to cover the many large expenses involved with Tyler’s care. It is controlled and administered by the trustees, Steven Hui and Bennewith.
There is also a giant get-well card at Pharmasave that people are being invited to sign.
And there’s a Facebook page you can visit to find out how Tyler’s doing.
