Belmont | A Belmont man is facing the prospect of needing a heart transplant, and friends and family are working to raise funds to help cover the medical costs the family will incur, which will likely be more than $280,000.
Brian Page, 40, experienced a heart attack in 2016 that should have killed him, his doctors said. Since then he has experienced a series of additional health problems, with the latest being that as a result of damage his heart muscle has received, bypass surgery is no longer an option and a transplant is all that can save him.
Brian’s son, Caine, established a GoFundMe account on March 12 to try to help the family handle the expenses they are facing. Additionally, an account has been established for the family at Community Spirit Bank, where those who wish to do so can donate money directly to the family’s cause.
“A heart transplant and the LVAD (a device that would be placed in a open-heart surgery procedure that would help his heart pump) cost around $1.4 million and $750,000 respectively, and my dad’s insurance only covers up to 80 percent of the medical costs, meaning he would have to pay around $280,000 for the transplant and $150,000 for the LVAD,” Caine wrote on the GoFundMe account. “Along with the medical costs, Nashville is about 4 hours from Belmont, and travel expenses start to add up.”
Misti Page, Brian’s wife, told The Red Bay News that she and her family have been humbled by the outpouring of support they have already received since he received news just a few weeks ago that his heart function has already dropped to near 30 percent.
“We have had so many people praying for us and asking how they can help,” Misti Page said. “It makes me so proud to live in a community where people care for each other like this.”
Brian was a smoker, Misti said, and was advised by doctors he could not receive a transplant until he had been smoke-free for at least six months. He has since quit, hopefully putting him on a path to be a candidate by September.
In the meantime, Caine Page said he knows the amount of money the family is huge and his family appreciates everything people can do for them, even if it isn’t monetary in support.
“$280,000 is a lofty number, and I know that will be challenging to raise. But any help would be greatly appreciated,” Caine wrote. “If you can not financially help, we understand, but I would like to ask of everyone to please continually keep my family in your prayers.”
For more information on the family’s story and updates on fundraising, see the GoFundMe.com page by searching “A heart transplant for my Dad.”
