Families throughout Carbon and Emery County each day not only face emotional heartache when a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness like cancer, but as the battle to fight the illness progresses, medical bills begin to mount and add another level of devastation to those involved.
Even with insurance, costs add up and leave families teetering on financial ruin.
Almost daily there are fundraising concerts, raffles and school events to help out the members of the community that are struggling. Recently the community has rallied support behind the families of Alix Draves, Katelynn Sanderson and Brylee Olson. These instances are perfect examples of the giving nature of our community. A former Carbon County family is facing a similar crisis.
Below is a letter from Leslie Marsing about the struggle her husband Troy is facing, and how the family is trying to cope with the overwhelming financial burden to save his life:
“This is me and the love of my life of 27 years, my husband Troy Marsing. Troy was diagnosed with heart failure 10 years ago. In the last 10 years Troy has had 12 heart surgeries. We were told Troy should never have lived as long as he has. He not only is in heart failure, he has Graves’ Disease from the heart medication, he’s a diabetic and requires insulin. Troy takes 35 medications a day to help stay alive.
In August of 2012 Troy went into complete body function failure. His kidneys, liver and brain took the biggest hit.
I was told to get our 3 kids and all family together quickly because he was not going to pull through this time. But by a miracle and the miracle of the doctors and medical technology, he lives today only by being kept alive by an artificial heart device that acts as his heart. Troy spent from August to the end of September in the hospital and was able to come home for a while.
The artificial device called an LVAD that is keeping him alive is now failing and he now lives in the hospital where he is hooked up to machines to keep him alive. His only chance to live is a heart transplant.
Because of Troy’s disease, he had to retire and I am unable to work because he requires a family member with him at all times. Because of the damage to his brain, he does not remember what the Heart Failure Doctors or Nurses and staff tell him.
We currently have already acquired 2 million dollars in medical bills and they keep adding up. A heart transplant is not charitable, meaning they do not have to give him a heart if he can’t pay. The heart alone is $700,000 and our portion of that is a staggering $320,000. Then we have the doctor bills, surgeon bills, hospital room bills and our cost for his rejection medications for the rest of his life will be 900.00 dollars a month. We do our best to hold as many fundraisers as we can to raise the money to pay medical bills and be prepared to pay for rejection medications when he gets a heart transplant.
Troy is 51 years old and an amazing father to our 3 children who need their Dad to be around to see them achieve all their dreams, get married, have our grandchildren and have a chance to live life again, and spend another 27 years as my husband.
Our motto is “Don’t Stop Believing”, it’s all we have, we have to believe in miracles.
If you are able to donate in any way to the Troy Marsing Heart Fund, you can contact Mekette Hodges or go to any Wells Fargo Bank and ask for Troy Marsing’s Heart Fund. It is a tax deduction. This is about saving a life and organ donation. 150,000 people a year need a heart transplant only approximately 2,000 a year receive a heart. That means 19 to 22 people die every day. Please help us keep Troy from being another number.
If you’re not already an organ donor become one today. Please help us save Troy’s life and give the gift of life to so many others.
God Bless and Don’t Stop Believing!!!
The Marsing Family… Troy, Leslie, Martin, Mykela and Madyson Marsing.”