By Chris Hagan
Review Staff Writer
In a matter of day’s Ted Swietlik went from enjoying the activities of a healthy and active college teenager to facing the realization that his heart was failing. What should be a season of finishing finals looking forward to summer is now an environment of beeping heart monitors and various medication drips.
Word of the 19-year-olds condition made its way back to his former teacher, Broadcasting Advisor Roger Smith. Smith, who’s known Ted for five years, then created a Go Fund Me account on May 12 in an attempt to offset the cost the family is enduring. In less than five days, pushing page through email and social media, more than $21,000 has been raised.
‘I’ve often said Ted has a heart of gold. He has always struck me as a kid who lives life to the fullest, and he cares very much about being a good person and helping others,? Smith said on the Go Fund Me page. ‘Now he needs us to help take care of his family while they endure these challenging days.?
So how did Ted get to this point?
He was born with a heart condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). HLHS is a birth defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart and also affects the valves and ventricles. By the time Ted was 2 years-old he had already undergone three open-heart surgeries. Due to his HLHS, Ted gets routine check-up exams ever six months and up until April 2015, everything had checked out fine.
But on April 10, the 2014 Lake Orion graduate went to the emergency room for stomach pain and shortness of breath. Nothing was found but Ted’s parents, Mark and Karen, followed up with his cardiologist and scheduled a catheterization; a procedure which involves inserting a thin flexible tube into the sides of the heart to get a detailed look at how effective it’s performing.
Ted wanted to wait until his college exams were finished to have the procedure but because his continued stomach pain and sudden onset of chest pain, he was rushed to Children’s Hospital before it could take place. Once he was admitted it was soon discovered his heart wasn’t pumping effectively and his vital organs were showing the same thing. As suspected his heart was in failure and the only path to survival was to have a heart transplant.
Through the end of April and beginning of May, Ted remained in the hospital cycling through medications trying to improve his condition. Doctors attempted to ween him off IV medications in order send Ted home but his body reacted negatively when the medications were slightly decreased. Unfortunately, due to insurance reasons, Ted was then transferred on May 5 from the doctors and nurses that had cared for him for almost 20 years. Now at the University of Michigan’s CS Mott Children’s Hospital, doctors discovered an unsettling issue with his heart and a decision was made to put Ted in the ICU and place him on a machine that takes over the functions of his lungs and heart.
The days that followed were like a roller coaster; points of overwhelming positivity and improved later becoming worrisome as his condition wasn’t improving. Ted remained sedated allowing his organs to heal effectively but Mark and Karen still were not able to communicate with him.
Mother’s Day began with Ted being rushed to get a CT scan over concerns he was possibly seizing while still sedated. His breathing remained fast but as the sun began to set they slowed down and was becoming a agitated with the medical team working on him; a good sign according to Karen.
What was looking as an improvement was later darkened as Ted developed Pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and HIT (a medication reaction that caused his platelet levels to drop dramatically).
But just as the day turned for the worst, Ted’s body began responding the next day and continued improving. Through a routine of medications and close examinations, his platelet levels continued to increase, his pneumonia was clearing up and he was taken off blood pressure medication. Although he continues to improve, Ted still remains in a state of paralysis despite attempts remove him from the paralytic.
Ted will stay sedated and unconscious until his body can handle the reduction in medication as he waits for his chance for a transplant. Until then his parents and sister continue to make the 120-mile roundtrip commute from their home and stay in hotels around the area. The commute and everyday expenditures like food and gas can be taxing on anyone’s bank account let alone the added medical costs and stress. It’s these reasons why Smith started the Go Fund Me page entitled ‘Teddy’s Heart.?
Mark and Karen did not wish to discuss the status of Ted’s condition as they wanted to focus their attention and energy on him. But they did release a statement on the Go Fund Me page:
‘To all our friends and family. We just want to extend our greatest thanks and appreciation for your generosity. All of your prayers and support have truly touched us deeply and has brought many tears to our eyes. Experiences like this remind us of how many wonderful people there are in the world and how truly blessed we are. We ask for your continued prayers as we expect this to be a long battle with a successful outcome.?
Currently the Go Fund Me page has a goal of $25,000 with nearly 350 donations totaling almost $22,000 with all the money going directly to Ted’s parents. Anyone interested in learning more about Ted’s condition or the fundraiser can go to gofundme.com/teddysheart.